


Skein: The Warrior's Requiem

by UsagiSquared



Series: Skein [7]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Female Seto Kaiba in other words, Gender or Sex Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 144,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21596941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UsagiSquared/pseuds/UsagiSquared
Summary: Part 7 of Skein, formerly Skin on ff.net | Covers the finals of Battle City, and its immediate aftermath.It had felt like days within the computer, but there's no rest for the wicked or the just once the clock begins to tick again. Hours remain before the lives at stake will be lost, and with secrets laid bare on the table there's nothing else to lose.Except of course, the only thing they can bargain against the wielder of the Rod.
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto
Series: Skein [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1098465
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Reset Button

In the wake of disappearing ashes of the ruin beneath them there was nothing but silence among them.

Each of those who had just fled from Noa's world were in that bridge room now, staring through the window with nearly identical expressions across their faces. With looks of dull depression and faded eyes, watching as scraps of metal from the airship sank to the depths of the ocean while the now jet transport they were being carried within flew over it with ease.

"Noa," Mokuba whispered, looking through the window. "I guess... ...He's gone now." Gone.

Dead. They were the same thing but...

The fact was, for Noa, it was probably best. "When you think about it," Yugi whispered quietly, "He wasn't so much 'evil' as he was..."

"Confused." Anzu, golden eyes revealing it to be Malik for the moment bowed 'her' head, staring through the window as a few of the others turned to the somewhat altered pattern of speech. "He was just... Confused. He wanted his father back," the teen continued quietly, "And he wanted to see the real world again."

"He was just a scared little boy," the real Anzu continued as she looked up with again blue-brown eyes. "Just..."

"They were both idiots," Seto's growling and disguised voice muttered, the woman standing behind them with crossed arms as the group turned. "Noa and Gozaburo." There was a large amount of distaste visible in her expression. Seemingly endless amounts of hate, rage... Though they'd escaped from the fire after all they had yet to escape everything else. As it was, she wasn't yet finished with speaking. "Both of those fools wasted our time completely... And if you know what's good for you," she continued almost threateningly as she looked to the group, "You'll forget that whatever happened down there even occurred."

Katsuya and Mokuba both frowned, the others following their actions. After all it was one thing to tell them to forget what happened to them... But what the others learned there was an entirely separate matter, and though the initial shock of hearing a familiar and male voice from Kaiba's mouth kept them silent for a moment, the knowledge that it was wrong opened their mouths back up.

"...You... You can tell us to forget all you want," Otogi said somewhat quietly as he looked to the woman, eyes narrowing somewhat as he shook his head. "But... That doesn't mean you're right."

"We know what we saw in there," Honda continued with a similar tone, silent and seemingly invisible tension rising in the air as the teen swallowed. "And you can't change that... You..."

"Seto-sama," one of the pilots called from the side, cutting Honda off before he could finish. The man gave a slight gesture to the screen before continuing, hands firmly on the wheel. "We're now back on course," he said somewhat plainly, "And we should arrive at Alcatraz in approximately 45 minutes."

The woman turned, nodding curtly before looking down upon the others once again. They were going back to the tournament now. Back to what they had yet to finish, but-

"...This bridge is for staff only," she said stiffly, arms still crossed as the others stared almost incredulously in response. "I suggest you each leave and find some way to entertain yourself until we land..." Enter-

"Gh- An' what's that s'pposed t' mean!" Katsuya growled, narrowing his eyes as the woman moved to stand near the 'central' controls. "You jus' gonna ignore all this then?" he asked, growling under his breath. "That it?"

The look they received in response was far colder than what he'd gotten used to in recent times, and far more threatening than he'd have liked. "When this ship lands," the woman said darkly, seeming almost reminiscent of the 'her' from before even Duelist Kingdom, "This tournament is going to continue as planned; it is currently fifteen minutes after nine," she continued as the group stared. "By the time we reach Alcatraz it will be ten o'clock, half an hour from the expected continuation of the tournament. From that time however," Seto growled, "There are still four hours before a helicopter with the equipment and space required for each of the unconscious on board will reach the island." Four...

Four hours? As the others slowly realized just what the woman was getting at she turned away, leaving to stand at the bridge head to look to the approaching tower of Alcatraz.

"If I were you," she hissed almost under her breath, "I would take as much time to prepare for your next match as possible... Because regardless of what happens," the woman warned, "This tournament will go on."

"You're kidding," Otogi muttered, "You-"

"Leave the bridge," she said stonily. "Now."

They'd left the room after that for obvious reasons; no one wanted to argue with Seto at the moment and frankly they had other things to check on. And the fact was that though there was no real way to tell what was on Seto's mind, whatever it was was most assuredly important.

Which was likely why it was such a relief when they left the room, or so it seemed to Mokuba as he stood at his sister's side in silence. The woman beside him still had a stony look across her face, and as the others cleared the room both siblings stood in silence, Mokuba briefly watching as his sister's expression and stiff posture slackened somewhat to the more stressed one she held after coming back from a long day at work. Seto was more shaken than even before, even with everything over. Even though Noa was dead now the boy muttered mentally to himself, the light-haired 'boy' coming to mind at that thought.

He couldn't remember much from their final moments, but he thought that when he was about to wake up he could hear him apologizing.

And then when they'd left, he'd told them ' _I'll make it'_ , that he would find a way out...

But that had been a lie, hadn't it?

Mokuba bit his lip, looking down at the ground as a few tears dotted his eyes, recalling the expression Noa had given them when he looked back to him. He'd known he was going to die... But he'd also known that to stay would mean the same fate for Katsuya, and that it was him or them. So then he...

He... For their sakes...

Mokuba wiped his eyes, shaking himself with an almost shuddering swallow. He needed to pull himself together he told himself, still staring at the ground. He had to keep living and...

...And for Noa's sake the boy decided, he'd live for him too. No matter what. And he couldn't just rely on everyone else either, he thought to himself with a swallow. He had to stop letting everyone get hurt trying to fight him... Stop pulling people in for his sake, like what Seto did trying to get him back, when she'd pushed herself past the point of death. Which meant, he thought somewhat nervously, not simply following people around either. He couldn't blindly follow his sister with whatever she wanted to do... He had to help her too, didn't he?

And the same with Katsuya- he couldn't just tag along with him whenever he was bored. Katsuya needed his own time too, and he'd done fine without him before, and...

And the fact was no matter what either of them thought, they couldn't be strong all the time. Not really. "Mokuba?" Seto said at that moment, the boy turning upward as his sister looked down in slight worry. "...You're quiet... Are you alright?" she asked, her brother blinking again.

The boy hurriedly nodded, smiling nervously as he searched his mind for an excuse to give. "A-Ah... Y-Yea," he said with a cough ,"I'm fine..." At least as fine as he could be after that mess below. So... "I'm just nervous..." Very nervous, he mentally corrected. There was still the rest of the tournament and it all involved that same maniac that was still on board. Speaking of which... "...We're almost there," he said after a few moments, momentarily wondering just where 'Malik', the 'dark one' at least, had disappeared to. "At Alcatraz..."

Seto nodded almost absently in response, her arms still crossed. "That's right..." His sister continued to stare through the window, eyes seeming to grow dim. "We're almost at the tower." The tower that had originally been built with the intent of flaunting power over the others. The tower that was now the last thing that remained of the time influenced by Gozaburo. The tower that held the last memory of a time before 'Death-T', a darkened time that was filled with something that only one simple, tiny and seemingly harmless word could describe.

'Wrong'.

Once they got rid of that tower he told himself, they would focus on happier times. Maybe, no matter how long it took, Seto would start to open up... She and Katsuya would get closer, and his friends would become her friends, if not just slowly.

But right now the boy thought to himself, that wasn't what mattered, at least not immediately. Because right now their tournament wasn't even continuing because of the fact that it was a tournament, or because of the fact that its end would herald the beginning of a new and better story. Now it was continuing as a way to pass time and keep the others alive, keep them in at least somewhat livable conditions until their escape came. But as the radio crackled, even that had failed it seemed, as both he and his sister paled with the severity of the words they heard.

"Sir," the familiar voice of their doctor said somewhat choppily, "There's something we need to speak about. In person."

Whatever it was that Mokuba had expected Kuzushi to tell them as they left for the doctor's office was certainly not good.

But he could never have predicted how far from 'good' it could have been.

* * *

Shortly after they left the bridge it was as though a mantle had been lifted from the crowd. As they walked down the hall of the upper floor of the enormous jet they had for the most part, remained silent. But even within a few steps the feeling of unease began to vanish, along with the sensations of fear, of trauma and nervousness that had been instilled by the combined horrors of Noa's Virtual World. And finally after a few more moments in silence, there was one long and loud release of held breath from one of the teens around them, the group pausing momentarily to turn.

"Hahhhhhhhhhhh... I swear to god Jonouchi," Honda groaned, shaking his head as he looked to the blond with a slight laugh. "I don't know... How you can live through that, but..."

"There's no 'but'," Otogi added with a swallow, his own expression not quite as 'amused' as his friend's as it was somewhat disbelieving. "How _do_ you live with that?"

Katsuya blinked, staring at the others with slight surprise. "Er... Live w' what?" he asked confusedly. Yugi as well seemed to stare, before the hovering 'other' half beside him caught on. " _Ah- I believe they're referring to Kaiba's use of ventriloquism,_ " he muttered, before smiling in slight amusement as his friend blinked. " _And I have to admit,_ " he laughed, rubbing his head somewhat. " _It's more than a little disconcerting to start..._ " What..? Oh come on...

"Nyyyyyyh..."

"Hahaha... The other me has a point," Yugi laughed, the rest of the group turning as Yugi went on to somewhat explain what they'd been talking about beyond most normal ears. "When Kaiba-san uses her fake voice..."

"Well," Honda cheered with a sigh, "At least we know what the hell was going on now."

"Er... What..." Alright, what were they talking about?

"That's right," Otogi added, nodding with a somewhat amused smirk as he continued with the comments on whatever unknown topic he and his friend was on. "There's no need for us to question who your mysterious date is- now we know it's a lie to hide your crush," he continued, chuckling somewhat as the smirk grew. WH-

"EH? I wasn' even' sayin' anythin' abou' a date!" he protested loudly. "You guys were th' ones tha' did tha'!"

"And I'm sure that eventually you'll find a way past the pride, the antagonism, the low tolerance for 'loss'... Well... Everything," 'Malik' added, with a somewhat awkwardly placed smirk given Anzu's usual expression. "To make things work out." Work-

A-AHH! Katsuya continued to tense, growing red in the face. "GH- I AIN' DATIN'-"

- _SMACK_

"ITEEEEEEH!"

Shizuka sighed, crossing her arms as the blond beside her rubbed his head. "Hnnn... Nihan," she muttered, shaking her head and rubbing her somewhat stinging hand somewhat before crossing her arms. "Honestly! Is this really the time for that kind of thing?" the girl continued, looking at her brother with narrowed eyes The blond merely frowned, grumbling to himself as his sister again sighed before beginning to walk away. "Hahhh... I'm going to go see Keichi," she decided, moving past the others to go upstairs before glancing back at the others with a frown. "You should probably do what Kaiba-han asked and check over your deck," she added, "Just in case you have to fight... ...'Him'," the girl said with a swallow.

Well. That was always a good idea he supposed, given who 'he' probably was, but-

"Hard to believe we've still got this crap to deal with," Honda muttered, crossing his arms with yet another sigh as Shizuka disappeared upstairs.

"I know," Anzu added, her eyes and voice identifying her as herself once again as she shook her head. "We just got out of Noa's computer. And there's still the tournament, and 'Dark' Malik..." The woman's eyes flashed over, a far more guilty expression coming over her face as the lighter and original half began to speak.

"...This is all my fault," 'Malik' muttered, leaning against the wall and against shaking 'his' head. "If I'd just done things differently... If I'd realized who it really was that killed 'him'..."

Ah... 'Him'? A flash came to mind, the blond holding back a slight wave of nausea as a blood-spattered wall came to mind along with a scream. ...Erm...

Never mind...

A few of the others blinked, trading looks as Otogi voiced the other's likely opinion on the situation. Namely the one standing before them, which had nothing to do with whatever was running through Katsuya's head. "Ah... ...Malik?" the teen said somewhat hesitantly, 'Malik' in question turning as his 'friend' coughed. "...You seem oddly comfortable with... Ah... This..."

"What?" Malik asked somewhat flatly. "What is it?" Well, they were staring at Anzu's breasts and Malik wasn't so...

"Dude, you're in a girl's body," Honda blurted, the apparent woman blinking once again in apparent confusion as the others stared. "How are you... I mean... Functioning... And... ...Uh..." And...

Yeah that covered it. Malik narrowed 'his' eyes, crossing 'his' arms as a very much Anzu-typical expression came over the body's face. "There's how much going on," 'he' growled in a manner almost similar to the body's own despite obvious gender-differences, "And this is your main concern?"

The two teens shrugged, gesturing awkwardly to the woman's form as Malik continued to scowl. "Wellllll..."

"Hah... Ahahaha... L... Lets just leave things as they are," Yugi laughed somewhat nervously, shaking his head. "The important thing is that we're all alive, right? And once we deal with the 'other' Malik," he continued, "You can go back to being... ...You," he finished somewhat lamely. "...Right?"

There was another awkward cough and look toward 'Anzu' at that, Malik turning away somewhat as he himself caught on to the strangeness of the situation. "Right," he said with a cough. "I'll just-"

The door to the bridge slammed open, Seto storming past with wide eyes and a somewhat uncharacteristic expression as the others stumbled to the sides. "W-What th' hell-," Katsuya began, only to find himself cut off by a billowing white coat.

"Move," Seto said stonily, Yugi and the others scarcely doing as told in time for the woman to head for the stairs upward with eerily out of place speed.

"H- What th' hell!" Katsuya muttered, shaking himself as he stared toward the staircase. "What's going on..?"

"Nothing good, that's what," Mokuba answered, the others watching as the boy briefly paused from following his sister to swallow and stare at them pale-faced. "...Follow me!"

There was really little other choice than that they decided, nodding hurriedly as they did just that and rushed up the stairs to come outside the door to the boy's room. No other choice.

But as they came to look at the hall outside the stairs Katsuya found himself growing pale, freezing in place as the others gathered around him. Shizuka.

Shizuka was...

"Ah... Uaaaaaaahhhh... Uaaaaa _aaaaAAAHHHH_... Why... WHY!" she was crying from across them, the blond running to his weeping sister to reach out with a comforting hand. "Why did this..."

"Calm down little one," Ishizu was whispering to the girl, pulling her close as the teen beside her momentarily looked at the woman in confusion. "It'll be alright, he'll live... I assure you he'll live..." He..?

But who was... "Shizuka," Katsuya whispered, the girl turning from the Egyptian's side as the others looked into the room Seto had just rushed into. "Shizuka," he continued as his sister trembled violently, "What happened, wha's-" Before she answered...

Before she could say a thing...

"...Jonouchi-kun," Yugi said weakly, swallowing as he looked into the room across them with wide eyes. "I think... I think you should see this..."

The room they stood in front of was Mokuba's room strangely enough, though he'd known that before even realizing it was their destination. Maybe it was because of the security involved. Maybe it was because of all that had happened downstairs, but for the moment as he walked inside he could see Seto was giving orders to staff over a radio. He could see Kuzushi with all of her standard equipment and papers, the blond watching as the ship's female doctor tended to someone on a bed. As to who that someone was however it took a moment, one extremely long moment, to tell.

Numerous machines were connected to the form in the room, the one who was currently covered partially by a thin blanket on what was once meant to be Mokuba's bed. Katsuya stepped further into the room as he caught sight of this form however, swallowing while he came closer to the side. Heart rate monitors were on the side, along with machines to record the organ function, to record breathing... The latter of which was being regulated by a large machine at the side, and while there was a muttering in the back of his mind concerning how prepared Seto had been for the absolute worst he had no time to pay attention to that.

Because for the moment, he still couldn't tell who this was. There were nothing but bandages on this person after all, or at least until you reached the top of the figure's head. Past the cheeks and mouth, where the nose, eyes, and hair were still clearly visible amid the tube allowing air to pass through and the gauze patching the sides of his face. Closed eyes, appearing as though in a sleep...

And messy, somewhat long hair that was partially obscuring a thoroughly bandaged shoulder and neck in two separate tones. This person...

"...Ryuzaki," Katsuya muttered, eyes wide as he stared at the bed. Almost dead, despite the fact that just 'moments' before he'd been... "...Oh god Ryuzaki..."

A phone at the side was vibrating. It was flashing constantly, and in his mind there were numbers and letters mixing around in the back of his mind. Ryuzaki's phone had been buzzing for a while now as those numbers increased. The counter of missed messages rose, higher, higher, higher...

"For the love of... Honestly..!" Doctor Kuzushi snatched the phone up and clicked it off, stowing it away in a drawer with a scowl before going back to work. "There is a limit to texting for worry, and I don't have time for this!" Texting? It didn't seem like...

The blond looked toward the drawer a moment, before looking back to the doctor on the side as she went to the other end of the room to speak with her boss. All the others in the room were standing in silence now. 'Anzu' had backed away with wide and almost guilty looking eyes, Malik relinquishing control as the woman who actually owned the body bowed her head and shook. Honda and Otogi had quickly lost the joking attitude they'd been using in an attempt to get over the events they were now leaving behind, both looking forward almost in terror as those feelings of dread they'd abandoned were pulled screaming to the front of their minds.

Yugi was silent. And the ghostly form of the other Yugi hovered beside him in a similar state, both coming further into the room behind their friend. "What... What happened?" the physical one whispered, turning back to the others as Seto crossed her arms and stared stonily toward the bed from where she was still speaking with Kuzushi. "What happened here?"

Ishizu came into the room with that statement, Shizuka only briefly hesitating before following and moving past to better see her friend on the bed. The others only barely followed themselves, and though they remained near the entrance the area was soon enough completely filled with people.

"...Malik tried to follow you," she stated, holding the same calm tone she somehow managed to hold at all times as those in the room more or less turned their attentions to the woman. "He did so with intent to kill," she added, not that the comment was needed in the other's opinions. "And... When Ryuzaki-san saw this," she continued, her eyes dimming as her explanation fell oddly short,."...He..."

"I've called in a second helicopter," Seto muttered from the side, her brother as well looking to the bed in silence. The crowd instantly looked toward the woman, staring as she fixed a steady and almost aggravated glare toward them all. "However," she continued stiffly, "...My earlier statement still stands." Earlier...

As the others continued to frown their 'host' spoke, seeming to move closer to the door as she did so. "This tournament will continue on... Once we land, we begin."

"You..." A low growl came over the air, followed by a rage filled shout. "You plan to fight after all of this!" The others jumped at Shizuka's outburst, the woman stepping forward with wide eyes as the tournament host stared back in indifference. "He's barely alive!" the girl hissed, tears dotting her eyes. "Mai-han is barely alive, and Bakura-han is GONE even... And you're still holding this tournament!"

... But of course. "I've explained the reasoning behind this before," Seto responded rather coldly, Katsuya in the meantime finding a growing headache approaching as he grimaced. "And as it is," the woman hissed further, "I will be doing everything possible to make sure we don't have another death on this ship." Death?

The crowd froze at that, giving plenty of leeway for Seto to move toward the door even as the others swallowed and stared. "There... Someone is? Dead?" the shortest of the crowd asked with a swallow, eyes wide.

Again Anzu shifted on the side by the door, Ishizu herself standing in silence as Seto left the bedroom to head for her own.

"...Someone died?" Yugi repeated with a swallow, eyes widening even further as the spirit at his side mirrored the expression.

" _I... I knew he was capable_ ," the other muttered with a swallow, shaking his head, " _But then who was-_ "

The headache just passed.

Ohhhh hell... Katsuya looked back to the doctor at the side, shaking himself before looking to the others. A blood-spattered wall appeared in his mind again but this time the screams were dulled by a crushed throat.

"Yugi?" he asked as the others looked over, watching the blood drain from their friend's face before Katsuya continued. "...How long's Kuzushi been here?" Kuzushi in question seemed to tense somewhat from the other side of the room, before passing off what she'd heard as nothing and turning back to her work. Ryuzaki was, after all, in no condition to be left unattended to.

And Kuzushi had two other patients to look after.

Alone.

"...Syn-san is gone," Yugi whispered in realization, the others swallowing as Ishizu nodded from beside them.

"Yes... That's right," the woman said with a slight shudder, shaking her head. "...Doctor Syn was the one tasked with looking after Rishid," she explained, "And as the dark Malik's existence relies on that of Rishid's..."

The crowd continued to pale, Yugi speaking first. "He's his target... Then... Rishid is?"

"My dark half killed the doctor before attempting to do the same to Rishid, that's true" 'Malik' muttered hoarsely, the others turning with wide eyes as the voice hissed from their friend's body. "Before he could do so however," the teen went on, "He was called for his match against Mai." And after that... "On the second time," Malik said quietly, "He was stopped by Bakura. But despite this, Bakura lost." Yeah... He had but-

Wait, hang on..! "Bakura?" Honda repeated, eyebrows raised as he shook his head. "Why the hell would Bakura-"

Otogi shook his head, interrupting the teen. "No, better... How do you know Bakura did this?"

Malik's response needless to say, was probably enough to throw any hope of calming down for the next forty or so minutes off the jet. "...Because I was there."

Again the others fell silent, Ishizu taking the conversation from that point on. "My brother came to me using Anzu's body last night," she began quietly, "Asking for help to hide Rishid and claiming to have failed to stop his dark half with Bakura-san's aid; we moved him to my room initially," the woman continued with dim eyes, "But after Ryuzaki-san came back with Malik's body-"

"W- Hold on," Katsuya choked, eyes wide. Alright, he hadn't gotten a heads up on that one..! "Malik's _body_?" Hell he knew there'd been a fight but...

As the others turned to 'Malik' in question the body he was possessing shook its head the face's expression still caught in stony grief. "My body is still alive," 'he' said plainly, if not even hopelessly from where he sat at the side. "If it wasn't," he continued almost quietly, "I would cease to exist."

. . . OH...

Well... That was cheery.

Ghostly chuckling came from the back of his mind, Katsuya finding himself looking up before gaining a somewhat exasperated expression. " _Hnhnhnhnhn... 'Cheery' doesn't even begin to cover it Merea..._ " Ahahaha, he was wondering where this ghost went. Now if it would only leave…

The blond sighed, holding his head and continuing to look to the beaten body on the bed before him. "Augggghhh... Damn it," he groaned almost quietly, "What th' hell is going on w' everythin'?"

Like Shizuka had said; Bakura was gone, Mai was dying, Ryuzaki was close enough to it...

"Hell," he added with a mutter, "Do we even have t' bother w' th' tournament if Malik's out?" Maybe he could convince Seto otherwise or-

Ah... Headache... That was a big no...

Immediately after he said those words Ishizu nodded, the group still more or less converged in the entrance of the bed room as they looked to the Egyptian. "There's always the chance that he recovers," she said tensely, looking decidedly upset about that fact. "If he were to awaken before we land..."

"I'd say 'what're th' chances', but somethin' tells me I know," Katsuya muttered under his breath, the others nodding. Hell for something like this who needed precognition... The blond sighed again, watching as his sister moved to sit at the side of her friend's bed with her backs turned to the others. She was still crying. She was trying to hide it but she was still crying... "...Damn it... Th's 'Malik'..." Of all the things... He'd already done enough, but to do this! "No 'ffense," he growled to the 'Malik' behind them, "But yer other half is a complete monster."

"None taken," Malik responded shortly, before moving to leave the room instantly thereafter. "I... ...I need some air," 'he' muttered, a few of the others nodding at that.

"That sounds like a good idea," Honda decided as he gave a final look around the room. "Given all of this..." Another round of nods.

"I'll come with," Otogi muttered. "Some air outside the room sounds..." Good.

That sounded good. "I need to check on Rishid," Ishizu continued as she followed after the group. "Anzu-san, I'd actually like to speak with you later alright?" Anzu nodded in response and split from the other two who had left to do just that, and soon enough the room cleared.

Soon enough, it was just himself, Yugi, Shizuka...

The blond continued to stare at his sister, swallowing as he moved close to look down at the crying and praying young girl. "...Yugi," he muttered after a moment, looking back to his friend with somewhat dim eyes. "Do y... Think tha' you could..."

Both boy and spirit nodded, turning to leave without a hint of argument. "Right," the lighter half said in response. "We'll leave you be..."

"Thanks..." The door was closed shortly afterwards. Kuzushi was looking over the vital signs of the patient before her again, giving the two a cautionary look. Katsuya walked over to stand behind his sister, a worried frown over his face as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "...Shizuka," he asked after a moment, the girl not looking back as he swallowed. "...You... Are you gonna be alrigh'?"

There was silence for a moment. "...No," she said bluntly, shaking her head. "No, I'm really not." ...Damn it, that wasn't going to...

The blond sighed, pulling over the second chair to sit beside his sister. "Lis'n... Shizuka..."

"He wasn't even supposed to be here," the girl whispered, holding herself as she looked to the boy miserably. " _I_ wasn't supposed to be here. And if I wasn't," she cried, a loud sniffling sound coming over the air, "He'd have never followed that... That man and..."

The doctor looked over at the pair, before moving over and placing a somewhat comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "He's already out of the 'danger zone'," she assured her, a small if not severe smile on her face. "He might be unconscious, and I might not know for how long, but his vitals are still stabilized. He'll live," Kuzushi continued positively, "You have my word on that."

Well that was one, but... "...And Mai?" Katsuya found himself asking, the doctor looking back up. "How's she doin'?"

Kuzushi's already morose expression fell further with that, the woman sighing as she fingered her clipboard. "Kujaku-san is... ...Still non-responsive," she admitted before continuing. "Provided she is taken to the helicopter and hospital in time she should be fine but..."

The doctor bit her lip, before shaking her head with a sigh. "I wouldn't bring your hopes up too much; all I can say is that if and when she awakens, she will likely be just as non-responsive then as she is now." Just as..? Before he could ask the question his mind put two and two together, Katsuya nodding as he looked over the doctor's expression. Right...

...Mai was probably going to be scared as hell when she woke up, huh... "...I understand," the blond muttered, turning away as Shizuka looked to him sympathetically. "...Thanks... ...I..."

Damn it all...

Mai... Ryuzaki... Rishid and Bakura, and the 'good' Malik as well! All of them... All of them were suffering and that 'monster' was still alive!

" _You realize,_ " the ghost in his mind muttered, " _That to stop this from getting worse you would have to defeat the 'other' Malik first, correct?_ " Of course he did! And moreover...

He would defeat Malik! He would!

Even if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Her tournament was crumbling.

Falling to pieces in her hands, becoming nothing more but shrapnel, like the shattered steel ruin of Alcatraz. Nothing but ruined concrete and fallen ashes, floating on the seas for a split second before sinking downward.

The ghouls of Egypt were one matter. One matter that she'd thought had been prevented by creating a mobile location for the finals, and a matter that she had never even dreamed would reach this point. It was supposed to 'fix' things and get her the God cards and a destined fight all at once.

Instead however, it seemed to have made things far, far worse. Now they were locked in the air with the psychopath that controlled those ghouls. And in a few moments, though those left on the airship would be safe, it would become locked in a tower with that psychopath. It was plain to see that Malik Ishtar was dangerous, and more than capable of killing a man. There was more than enough reason to be leery of any 'locked room' situation involving him.

But she'd hardly expected the first casualty to be her private physician, and she had never expected it to be as gruesome as she'd found.

"Damn it all," she hissed, slamming a fist into the computer's counter in her room, the sound thankfully blocked by sound-proofed walls. She was keeping an eye on these cameras until at least a few minutes before landing, mark her words. There would be no more accidents. No more casualties. No more 'Ryuzaki's she told herself, already pondering just how close the body count had been to becoming 'two'.

Seto grit her teeth as she stared at the footage of Malik Ishtar's room, where the blond Egyptian was still out cold from his apparent battle. There wasn't even a scratch on him from what she could see from the screen, staring at the 'duelist'. Nothing but a slightly bruised cheek...

Compared to the dinosaur duelist borrowing her brother's room for the sake of necessary security and machines it was absolutely disgusting. The boy was barely alive... But thankfully enough it seemed Ryuzaki only had minor damage to his organs. In fact a majority of his wounds, though deep and graphic in appearance, would heal albeit with scars. A few would need to be surgically repaired, with whatever material embedded in the skin pulled out and any nerves or muscles involved stitched together however.

Something that simply couldn't be done here. Something that the hospitals would worry about. But the fact was she never did like being in anyone's debt and had it not been for the moron, both herself and everyone on the ship that had escaped Noa's virtual world would have likely died.

They'd have been killed in their sleep and left with nothing but the computerized world to live in, waiting for the next pod to be built, for the next victim to come along and-

"Tch!" The woman shook her head free of now 'pointless' thoughts, standing back from the computer as she looked to the clock. Thirty minutes left. All of this...

This tournament was becoming a disaster. She wanted to fight Yugi. More than anything she wanted to fight him, defeat him, leave that tower behind to throw back that last screaming portion of her past and it was the only way!

And now it seemed that the past was fighting back. Everyone on the ship, save the trio of 'Ishtar's, and the missing or comatose males on the ship, knew of her gender now. It had very clearly not been 'reset' nor 'erased' from their minds when they were released from the virtual world, and it was even more obvious that Yugi's precious 'friends' weren't going to drop it for a while.

So where were the jokes then?

She'd half expected a truck load of spite filled pokes at how she hid, at how she constantly disguised her voice and appearance to suit the business world and the now half-useless shield from her past. At how she had always gone on about being the 'King' of games when in all honesty she would be nothing more than the queen (but really, the most powerful piece on the chessboard was...)...

But there was nothing. If anything she thought with disgust, they'd looked to her with pity. Stared at the scars on her back and-

Seto looked down from the screens, eyes dimming as scars came to mind, scars that were by far not her own. In the virtual world, one could never tell what was real. If what they saw or heard was real, or if it was just fiction. Hell... She was still willing herself to forget one particular 'vision'. To forget everything of 'Egypt' and of stupid, moronic dreams that held no reason to exist within the back of her mind.

But she knew, no matter what, that the memories from just a few years back weren't fake. That what she'd heard in that memory...

...To think that bastard had known she thought bitterly, an almost demonic scowl coming over her face at the thought. Well! It would make the destruction of this island all the more better she supposed, pushing the thought from mind. That much more...

But what she'd felt in that realm. That scar...

She'd given Jonouchi CPR just a few hours before and there had been nothing there. Nothing but the dog tags that she'd expected him to lose within a few weeks, and the jacket that he'd clung to for all these months. Moments later she received a report from Syn (she'd have to contact his family, explain what happened and...)...

A report on exactly what kind of condition her mutt was in. Bruises covering his chest, inexplicably shaped like some giant's fist. A cut on his arm explaining the earlier bleeding, which would scar slightly but was otherwise nothing to worry about. And other than that, other than the one he'd received in December on his head, there were no scars, no mentions of anything similar... Hell, with the way the bruise was described it would be impossible for a scar to exist there! But what she felt in the virtual world, beneath her finger-tips...

She didn't think that had been fake. In fact she was almost certain it had been real, and as the clock ticked down to ten minutes before landing, as Malik Ishtar began to stir in his room on the screen, Seto found herself biting her lip. The duels would go on, no doubt about that...

But when this was over, she and her mutt would be having a bit of a 'talk'.

* * *

"...Malik?" Ishizu asked quietly as she entered Bakura's room, looking toward the figure that was sitting on the bed. Anzu Mazaki's body seemed almost hunched over in the darkness, careful not to move to close to the body laying on the bed. "...Malik, are you still..."

"It's Anzu right now," the woman beside Rishid answered, not looking up from the ground. "...You can come in though," she added, turning somewhat away in apparent unease. It was strange to see such seamless cooperation in sharing the body before her she thought to herself. Earlier that morning Malik had come to her in a fright with no signs of ever letting on that he had taken Anzu's body as a temporary refuge. Now?

It was as though they held the same form of bond that the pharaoh held with his vessel, shifting with the moods to suit the situation.

Quite frankly it scared her.

"...What happened in there?" she asked, taking a seat beside the woman on the bed. "Between you and my brother?"

"...It's complicated," Anzu responded almost at a whisper, still looking away. "I..."

A hand was brought to her shoulder, the woman rubbing it absently as she shook her head and closed her eyes. "...Our memories," the body went on, 'Malik' revealing himself despite holding onto the Japanese language as golden eyes opened up again. "While in the computer we were separated briefly; but since we were in the same body," he continued with a whisper, "Anything drawn from memory affected both of us." What?

Memory? The Egyptian woman blinked, frowning somewhat. "The... Computer?" she asked, staring somewhat. Ishizu continued to frown, shaking her head. She wasn't even going to try and make sense of that just yet... "Maybe you should start from the beginning..."

"Ughh... That would take _way_ too long," Anzu muttered, before her head snapped back up with golden eyes to rebuke the comment.

"To sum it up," Malik began quickly, "We were locked inside a virtual computer game by an omnicidal twelve year old who liked messing with our heads. A lot; he locked us both in a repeat of our memories," he continued more seriously, voice beginning to quiet to a less sarcastic tone to prove his honesty. "And one of the memories," Malik whispered, rubbing his back. "It was..."

Ishizu's eyes narrowed as the light came over a corner of Anzu's shoulder, the woman taking hold of the body's hand as Malik and Anzu both turned with a slight frown. "Malik... Anzu," she continued, carefully placing a hand over the woman's back and pushing the confusion of the 'computer' from mind. Ridges...

There were ridges on her back but they weren't digging inward- they were raised she noted in disbelief, but that should have been impossible unless...

"...What is this?" she whispered, pulling her hand back in horror as the familiar lines appeared within her mind from her fingertips. "Those markings... The carved history?" he hissed in shock, "But how-"

They shook their head, and as the two beings shifted through control of the body the alternation between confusion and unbridled fear was more than obvious to them. "I think... When Anzu's body thought it was getting cut," Malik began, rubbing an arm with a swallow, "That it tried to heal... ...But instead of healing a cut..." Gh...

Hypertropic scars... The body created too much scar tissue and it gathered... Moreover Ishizu realized coldly, if Anzu as well had seen that memory...

"...Anzu- did you _see_ the memory?" she asked seriously, swallowing back a wave of unease, "Or did you feel-"

There was no answer, but at that moment the body's eyes flashed golden and snapped toward the door. "...Sister," Malik said fearfully, straightening up from 'his' seat as he cut his sister off. "Outside the hallway," he whispered. "He's..."

Ishizu immediately knew what her brother meant, looking toward the door with a swallow. "We can talk later," she decided, standing from the bed with her eyes closed in sympathy. "Anzu," she added honestly. "Whatever you saw... Know that I am truly sorry for whatever you-..."

Anzu shook her head, not looking up. "It's alright, ukht."

U-Ukht..?

The woman paled, turning back briefly from where she'd headed for the door and watching as the one on the bed again turned to hold her silent vigil at Rishid's side. The eyes hadn't changed from blue-brown this time. And when Anzu spoke this time, it was with her feminine tones, with the speech patterns of the typical teen-aged girl. So then...

When her brother said all their memories... Could he have possibly meant...

Ishizu stepped outside of the room, closing the door tight behind her and looking around the hall. Malik had obviously felt something from that 'darkness' that came from him, that thing inside his body. As to what it was however she wasn't sure, and until she took a step down the hall the reason didn't come to mind.

Not until she heard him.

"Hello, ukht."

In reflex her hand flung toward her neck, reaching for where the tauk would ordinarily be. It wasn't there though, she reminded herself. Not any more, and so long as that was the case... Ishizu stepped back with wide eyes and watched as Malik, the 'Dark Malik' stood before her, the millennium eye blazing across his forehead and the rod gripped tightly in his hands. Blood still stained the blade. Still stained the arm that held it, along with anything that had been within range of Ryuzaki's gushing injuries, having dried to a sick rusted shade that cracked and dusted when brushed against.

It was all the makings of a horror movie antagonist, and it was standing right before her. "H... You..." She refused to call this... Thing 'Malik'. She refused to call this thing her brother, when the spirit of her brother currently shared a body with the woman in the room behind her. Refused... "You!"

"Poor poor ukht," 'Malik' sneered, fingering the rod in his hands as he began to step closer. "You lost the fight... You get to live," he continued with a chuckle, "But at what cost? Now you get to watch hell occur on earth itself," the teen hissed, stroking the item in his hands, "And you can't do a thing about it... Hnhn _hnhnhnhnhn_..."

Ishizu backed away, hand still over her neck despite having placed the tauk back on Yugi's table in his room long ago. "You... What do you want?" she hissed, soon coming to a stop against the lift doors as she ran out of space to go. "You've already done enough you monster, so what do you want?"

"What I want," the teen sneered, "Is to know where Rishid is..." Rishid! She steeled herself, clenching her fists as she brought them back to her side. Never...

She would never reveal... "Who knows," she said plainly, narrowing her eyes as Bakura's room was pushed back from mind. "There are a number of rooms in this jet. He could be in any."

The Egyptian across from her growled, pointing the rod toward her threateningly as the woman swallowed. "Don't toy with me," he spat, stepping closer as Ishizu tensed. "I know for a fact that you've hidden him... And without your item," he continued with a sneering grin, his 'sister' continuing to pale as her hand gripped at empty space, "You can't protect yourself from me... This face filled with terror," he hissed, a look of 'pleasure' across his face as Ishizu swallowed back a wave of bile from the approaching blond, "How I've wanted to see this... You're vulnerable to whatever I wish of you under the Rod's command now," he continued with a chuckle. "You know that much... Hnhnhnhn... Hnhn _hnhnhnhnhnh..._ "

-Attention,- a sudden voice called through the air, 'Malik's eyes flicking to the side as Ishizu held her breath and looked up to the side. -We are approximately five minutes from landing at our destination. We now request all semi-finalists to finish with what preparations remain for their next match.-

That...

- _click_

Ishizu's eyes looked down from the speaker on the side to her captor, 'Malik' stepping back with a slight scowl. "Hn! So we've arrived already," he muttered, adjusting his grip on the millennium rod. "Well then," he chuckled darkly. "It isn't as though he'll be going anywhere... In fact," the psycho continued with a grin while he walked further backward, "I don't think he'll be waking up at all! Your pharaoh and priest stand no chance against me," he continued with a hiss, narrowing his eyes. "And against Ra they will both fall! I'll take my leave now," the teen chuckled, giving his sister a mock bow. "I have a few last minute things to grab... But I implore of you sister, watch the show from your bedroom window. The blood sacrifices I make are all for you... And your last 'hope'," he continued with a wide eyed grin as he left for his room, "Is about to become swallowed in darkness..."

As 'Malik' disappeared down the hall Ishizu could do nothing but stare, frozen with fear and terror both as she stiffened against the wall. It was only until after the door to his room closed over that she could release the breath she'd held, only dimly aware that she was shaking. This...

This thing possessing her brother...

"May the Gods protect them," she whispered with a trembling shudder, before slowly moving back to her own room with quivering breaths. "May they protect them all..."

* * *

In the darkness of his bedroom, the window currently shadowed by the clouds overhead in the bright July sky, Yugi lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. There were lots of things on his mind for the moment, not that this was surprising. Some of them were menial, almost to the point where he was berating himself for thinking of them. They were stupid things really... Things such as what Anzu's feelings for Malik were given her treatment toward him in the Virtual World. Did she maybe like him? Did something happen in there?

Did girls really flock to the 'rough' and 'foreign' types? He knew that this 'light Malik' was on their side, or at least enough to act in their benefit for now but...

Did Anzu...

The boy shook his head violently, biting his lip. No! He shouldn't be doubting his friends! There were more serious matters...

Like the white ghost in Jonouchi's mind, which had a mind of its own- an unknown identity, and a power that had himself and his other frowning with worry. Like the visions his friend was still having, the moments where he'd pause, turn oddly and ask to be alone, because then no one would know what he knew and-

"...I'm worried other me," he said after a while, holding his puzzle as the spirit sat in the air at his side. "I don't know what's happening to him... Neither does he, or Ishizu-san," he continued with a whisper. "And with everything that's going on now..."

" _You think there's more to it,_ " his other self finished, his expression telling him he thought the same. " _That there's still something else he hasn't mentioned..._ "

Yugi nodded, hesitating a moment before continuing on. "On the field. You said... That the monsters acted like they knew him," he began as he looked to the ghost, "But you also said that it was different from how we play, didn't you?" he asked, the spirit nodding.

" _That's right; in fact,_ " the ghost continued, furrowing his brows in thought, " _One of them mentioned the 'rules of play'... He refused to attack,_ " the spirit explained, " _Even turning on one of the other monsters rather than waiting for the 'shield arm' trap to activate..._ "

Something that shouldn't have been possible. Not at all...

" _Moreover,_ " he whispered, " _I could see tablets..._ " Tablets?

The boy sat up, frowning and shaking his head. Hang on... "You saw tablets?"

" _That's right. And now, with all of this... A part of me wants to question him on it now before something happens, but all the same,_ " his partner admitted, " _With all that's going on..._ "

"Right now he's probably focused more on the tournament," he added, staring at the ground. "Something we shouldn't distract him from. Jonouchi-kun... He really likes Kaiba-san," Yugi continued with a mutter, "So with both of us and the 'other' Malik as the finalists..."

" _He'll be more than determined to take Malik down in our stead,_ " his partner finished, knowing their friend well enough for that. It was in his nature after all. Jonouchi was a loyal person. A strong person.

And Jonouchi would damn himself if he didn't do anything for those he cared for, and if he simply stepped back to 'wait'.

Yugi sighed almost hopelessly on the side of the bed, leaning back against the wall. "What do you think happened?" he asked after a moment, thinking of the other victims of 'Malik's violence. "To Bakura I mean?"

" _There's no sign of him anywhere on the ship,_ " the spirit muttered with a frown, having searched around earlier. " _Even in engine and 'staff only areas'... But,_ " he went on, catching the worried looks and thoughts when the image of the destroyed building they'd just finished escaping came to mind, " _There was no sign of him on this ship before we landed last time as well,_ " he warned, looking back to his friend. " _Which means he wasn't in the fortress Noa captured us in._ " Well...

That was always good, but-

"H-Hold on..!" Yugi sputtered, turning to his partner with wide eyes. "W-W- He's been gone that long?" There was a nod, Yugi biting his lip and turning away. "Hnn... Bakura's last fight was with 'Dark Malik' if what Malik said is any sign," he muttered, looking down as he gripped the puzzle. "So if Bakura lost..."

" _He's probably somewhere in the world of 'shadows',_ " his other half muttered with narrowed eyes, " _That place where the power for shadow games come from... Until we defeat Malik's dark half_ ," the spirit continued, " _It's likely he'll never come back, the same with Mai. Ryuzaki is probably spared that fate,_ " he added with a slight shrug, " _Given that he remained conscious enough to drag Malik's body back to the ship and therefore 'won' the fight, but..._ "

The boy on the bed sighed, still looking down as his partner fell silent. With all that was happening...

Shizuka's panicked screams came to mind.

' _You're STILL going to fight? He's barely alive... And you plan to keep fighting!_ ' All of this... No matter what everyone said he couldn't help but notice a guilty, if not grieving tone to Kaiba's eyes through all of this. Her doctor of apparently six years was dead. And the fact remained that once Ishizu mentioned the reason Ryuzaki was in such dire condition that guilty and (in Kaiba's likely opinion) unwanted look had again creeped into Kaiba's face.

Kaiba wasn't the type to leave a so called 'debt' withstanding. She didn't believe in favors for the sake of friendship. So now that Ryuzaki had all but killed himself to make sure they lived on...

And now that they were again in a situation where time couldn't be wasted, lest the psycho that was Malik's 'hate and rage' do worse to them, she had little choice but to fight on and put a stop to it herself.

And the fact was, she'd rushed down to Ryuzaki's room just moments after they'd left. She'd contacted the same people she had for Mai and Bakura, likely to obtain a more properly equipped vehicle for Ryuzaki's transport. And beyond that...

" _Aibou_ ," Yugi's 'other half' whispered, the boy looking up as his friend bit his lip. " _All of this... The sacrifices occurring here..._ " The ghost sighed, shaking his head and turning away in obvious and guilted despair. " _This is my fault; it's my lost memories that caused this hate to arise- had it not been for me-_ "

"Stop," Yugi protested, scowling at his partner as a severe glint came into his eyes. "This isn't your fault!" The spirit turned, and Yugi continued. "You can't remember what kind of person you were, true... But you can't be held responsible for what happened between that time and this one either," he went on with a stern frown. "And even without your memories... I know, no matter what," he told him, "That you were and still are a good person... You try so hard to protect everyone, no matter what. And even before, when I didn't know who you were," the boy whispered honestly, "You still protected my friends and I..." As the ghost continued to stare at his partner Yugi smiled somewhat weakly, standing from the bed to continue. "Other me... We still have a chance to save them all- it's like you said; we have to defeat the 'Dark Malik'," he went on, "We have to fight! Got it..?"

Again his other half was silent, staring at the boy before him before finally meeting the smile with one of his own. " _...Of course. You're right,_ " he continued with somewhat more confidence, 'standing' in the air to give his friend a confident nod. " _A warrior doesn't quit in the middle of the battle after all... We'll have to press on..!_ "

"That's the spirit," the boy laughed, the pair sharing a smile. "Now-"

"Ahaaah! Found you," a woman's shout announced, the spirit and duelist both turning as 'Anzu', gold eyes staring forward, poked her grinning head in. She was wearing her jacket again despite the heat they noted, front hanging wide open as the 'woman' grinned. That was...

Odd...

"Yugi," 'Malik' continued, walking in with Honda and Otogi just behind 'him' as 'he' waved. "The airship's about to land!"

"Yeah! We've been looking for you," Honda continued with a grin, hands stowed in his pockets. "If we have to continue on with this tournament thing, we might as well make sure that you're up to it right?" he asked.

"And with Bakura as 'missing' as he is," Otogi added with an uneasy swallow, "Well... ..." An awkward silence fell in over the crowd, and the teen frowned. "...You don't... Think that the ring ties into that do you," he added, rubbing his arm nervously. "I mean... We never did find it after all that happened," Otogi went on, Anzu almost suspiciously looking toward the wall with that. Well...

That was...

Yugi forced a smile onto his face nonetheless, shaking his head. "We can't worry about that," he insisted, grabbing his jacket and dueldisk while making sure his deck was still in his holster. "No matter what he'll come back, alright? We just need to defeat 'Dark Malik' right?"

"Right," Anzu, the real one, called out in agreement. "Now-"

-ATTENTION,\- a voice called out overhead through the loud speakers, -The Battle City Airship has now arrived at Alcatraz Island. All remaining participants are required to exit the ship.-click

The others turned back to each other, a few giving somewhat calm shrugs in response to the announcement. "Well," Honda said, "You heard the lady..."

"Are you ready to go?" Otogi added, Anzu also looking toward their friend. Yugi in question turned to his partner at that, his own face conveying the message he held in his mind. Well?

Didn't he want to answer their question?

A slight gust of 'wind' and the spirit nodded before switching places with the boy. Of course, he thought to himself.

"Of course... Lets go..!"

* * *

The island was as unchanged as when she'd left it a few weeks prior, having personally inspected the building to make sure it was up to snuff for the tournament. Stale air hung around them, thick and stagnant, and as she stood in apparent confidence on the path amid the barely cleared rubble she found herself looking back to the entrance of the ship behind her. The others...

The mutt, Yugi, and their 'friends'...

They hadn't left the ship yet she noted, narrowing her eyes. They were simply looking at the barren and ruinous field before them, and the small path that had been cleared to make way to the tower. "Tch..." Wasting time... "What are you morons waiting for?" she finally grit out, those in the doorway seeming to tense in response. "An invitation? 'Permission' to take a step on this god-forsaken island?" she added, voice just as heavily disguised as it always was. Those on the ship merely steeled whatever resolve had slipped enough to hold them back, Yugi and Jonouchi in particular walking over as the usual 'cheering crowd' hung back somewhat behind them.

A cold wind blew and a number of the teens shivered, looking around the destroyed island with somewhat wide eyes. "Damn," the taller of the two was muttering, looking up at the tower behind her. "That thing is..."

Silence.

Obviously whatever he said was picked up on however as he was soon answered. "...Nhn," the 'Other' Yugi said from beside him with slight indifference, looking up at the structure with only slight amazement in comparison to most of the others. "...It's bigger up close," he decided somewhat lamely, Seto rolling her eyes as Mokuba and the others pulled slight smiles. Hn! Honestly, was that all he had to say?

"This is where we'll be fighting," she muttered somewhat stonily, looking back to the tower before them with narrowed eyes as the group stared. "Where the next 'King of Games' will be decided," the woman continued. "You and I will be fighting at the very top," Seto added, looking back to Yugi with somewhat narrowed eyes. "No matter what."

"...Kaiba..."

"Oiiii... Don' f'rget abou' me!" Katsu- (Jonouchi, her mind corrected. ...Damn 'Noa' must have done something...)... Jonouchi countered with a smirk, cutting off any argument that had been about to rise short as he laughed. "We're gonna fight too!" he said with a grin. "No matter what happens," he continued, "We're gonna fight! I'm a threat too, y' can't f'rget tha'!"

...Him? A threat? Seto snorted at the thought, shaking her head. "Please; you're as much a threat to me as the scrap around us," she chuckled, her brother merely sighing from beside her. "I'll just bury your pride in the ruin around us if it comes to fighting you."

The blond predictably tensed at that, hurriedly grabbed from behind by the taller of his friends as he made to run forward. "GH- SETO-CH-" WHAT- "MMMPPHH!"

"Don't open your mouth, don't open your mouth, don't. Open. Your mouth!" Honda hissed, as though repeating a spell over constantly. "You think 'Malik' won't notice a first name basis?" he warned lowly, Katsuya growing pale as the hand was pushed away from his face. Tch...

Did the idiot think Malik would miss the 'chan' for that matter?!

"We'll figure this sort of thing out through duels alright?" Anzu decided aloud, Seto briefly narrowing her eyes as a flash of gold seemed to go through the other woman's own. The woman crossed her arms, before continuing on with the change of subject. "Also, before anyone asks," she began, "Shizuka-chan decided to stay behind... She'll be keeping track of the duels using the recorder in the room, but she didn't want to leave Ryuzaki..." Recorders?

Please, Seto thought dryly in response to that, as though the 'recorder' was anything compared to seeing it in person.

Not to say she didn't at least partially understand the girl's reasoning for remaining behind...

"Tournament starts up again in just a few minutes," her brother was saying from beside in the meantime, the others turning in response. "Anzu's right; the duels will decide who's best in just a few moments," he said with a slight smirk, "So follow me and-"

"Hnhn _hnhnhn_... What a pleasant view," a deep, grating voice hissed, the others tensing in response. That sound... The group turned to the side where 'Malik' stood, cloak billowing in the wind as he stood upon a pile of rubble with a sneering grin. "Hnhnhn... Wouldn't you agree _Pr'aah_... _H'm-Net'r_..?" P-

Those words... Pharaoh. And...

Priest! She scowled, going somewhat red in the face as the blond before them continued to chuckle. "Gh..!"

"Malik," Jonouchi hissed dangerously from behind, the others growing red.

"Unu..!" the blond's friend shouted almost accusingly. W-Wait...

…

What. "What th' hell man,? Jonouchi muttered from behind, turning to his friend for a moment, "What was that, a bark?"

"E-EH! What are you talking about, that was nothing like a bark!"

"...Yes. Yes it was," the blond responded, "An'-"

"Hnhnhnhnhn...Barking suits both of you," Malik hissed, grinning as he slid down the side of the pile of rubble. "Nothing but dogs following the 'King'... So tell me 'Priest'," he continued with a sneering and maddening grin, standing just a few feet from the tower door with a crazed grin on his face. "Who will be fighting whom..?" Priest..?

"Gh..." This... Wretched... Egyptian...

Snake! Tension was building, that much was certain but it seemed her brother of all people would be the one to cut the problem short while the rest of them growled curses under their breath. "You'll find out your fate in just a few moments," the boy snarled, standing almost 'protectively' in front of his sister despite the near foot of difference between the two. "When you get inside the tower- got that?" There was a chorus of nods at that, but nothing was erasing the grin from Malik's face. Isono stood ahead at the moment while the door opened, and with a slight cough gestured toward the entrance. "The preparations are complete," he said somewhat stiffly, stepping to the side and away from Malik as the others walked forward. "The rules will be explained inside..."

Another chorus of nods, and keeping silent Seto walked in with others following somewhat close behind. As planned, the room they entered was nothing more than a decently sized and somewhat echoing chamber with five doors; one at each 'corner', cutting the square's shape from each point, and another at the far end to the stairwell up above.

"There's nothing here," she could hear Otogi mutter behind them, the woman only dimly paying attention to the peanut gallery at her rear.

"Where are the duel's going to happen?" muttered Anzu, only to be answered by a chuckling Mokuba.

"You'll find out soon," he said with a knowing grin, the corner of his sister's mouth twitching up somewhat in response. Yes... They would wouldn't they.

And with this system, Malik would be forced out of the hair of everyone below for at least an hour... Before being distracted long enough with following matches, as the timer until the end of the island ticked down.

...Maybe she could blow him up with the tower she added mentally, expression revealing nothing of her thoughts. That would be nice.

Isono's words jarred the woman from her mental ponderings, Seto turning her attention back to rules she already knew. "Welcome duelists," he announced clearly, somehow holding the facade of 'calm' in the face of a murderer who was still in possession of a weapon. "To the Duel Tower. Before we begin with the Semi-Final matches," the man continued on, "We will be holding a 'deciding round', a Battle Royale. Inside each of these doors," he explained clearly, "You will find a lift with a screen and cable attached. Each of you will choose one of these lifts and enter them, connecting the cable provided to a slot built into the bottom of the duel disk," Isono went on, both Yugi and Jonouchi examining the disks in question as Seto listened on. Honestly...

It figured that they'd be looking now...

The tournament assistant continued however, and Seto decided to instead wait for the moment she could leave rather than pay attention to such things. "Standard tournament rules will apply of course," he was telling them clearly as he held a professional stance before them, "However, in this battle it is 'all or nothing'; you may attack whichever opponent you like, and by the end the first two to be eliminated from the match will hold the first battle of the semi-finals, while the remaining pair hold the second. Further instructions," Isono went on, "Will be given in the next room. Until then I ask that each of you pick a door, and hold any questions you may have concerning anything outside the lift properties until that time. No matter which door you decide on," he added, "You will begin on equal footing. Realize that."

Hn! Of course they'd be on 'equal footing', what kind of battle wouldn't have that? Each of the doors to the side hissed as they opened, those around looking at them almost curiously. "Four doors," Yugi was muttering, Seto already making her way to the side as she gave a nod toward her brother. "Hnn..."

"Which one... He says it makes no d'ff'rence," Jonouchi muttered, apparently ignorant of the fact that his employer was already making her own choice, "But I still can't decide... O-Oii, Yugi," he said loudly, looking to the boy as his friend glanced back. "Which one 'r you pickin'?"

"...I don't really mind which door I take honestly..."

"Nyhhh... Damn it," the blond muttered, looking to each door and pointing to them as he continued talking to himself. "Alrigh'..! Eenie, meenie, mienie, moe, catch a tiger by th' toe..."

Oh of all the most idiotic things... "Ugh... He'll be taking the last one in the end," she muttered to herself, stepping into the room she'd picked as the blond's loud 'that one!' came over the air. "Aha! That's the one I'll- AH! M-MALIK!" Katsuya (Jonouchi damn it!) shouted incredulously, hopping back as the cloaked figure entered one of the doors.

"Hnhnhnhnhn..."

"D-Damn it... Then maybe-"

"Jonouchi," Yugi said clearly as he moved for the other door that Seto couldn't see, "I'll take this one alright?"

"EH-EHHHH!" Seto smirked, shaking her head as she stepped into her lift to watch the blond outside run frantically to the other side of the room. "D-Damn it, I really am in th' las' one..! I-"

Sound cut out as the door before her closed over, and after turning her disk on and connecting it to the device before her she leaned back against the 'lift' and lost the smile. This tournament...

No matter what it would hold together, and nothing else would happen. Mark her words...

It was time to fight.


	2. The First and the Last

When the door closed over to the lift room he had yet to get inside of his own. It took only a few seconds before he did so of course but for a moment he couldn't do more than stare at it in silence, the cheerful panic and rush that adrenaline was leaving him with now gone. This match...

This match would decide everything after all, and...

" _You have the chance to decide on your opponent,_ " the spirit in his mind whispered, Katsuya stepping into the lift and connecting his duel disk as the screen before him clicked on. 'Ready', the screen flashed.

He sure as hell wished he was.

" _How you play this match will decide on a vital decision..._ " Of course it was vital, he thought to himself. Depending on who fought who everything would change. The problem was however, that the others could do the same thing he could; no single person would be able to decide these matches.

Not completely at least.

" _...Hnn... True,_ " the ghost muttered with a shrug. " _And then again, in a Battle Royale it's more often than not that either the detested will be targeted, or the weak one..._ "

Katsuya nodded at that, the lift slowly beginning to move upward in the dark. His decisions were made of course. Malik was the detested one. And in his mind, none of his opponents were weak. But then there was the others. To Malik, he was the weak one, that was for certain. To Seto, he was someone who was likely 'weak' as well, if not someone she didn't want fighting at all for reasons he didn't completely know. To Yugi he was a friend who had promised him a match, and to Yugi there were no 'weak' opponents...

And hell while Malik hated Yugi, _everyone_ hated Malik.

Of course there were views of others from others' perspectives to think of too. To Seto, Yugi was a rival, and one with a God card; something Seto wanted more than anything from this tournament other than for people to stop coming close to death or simply dying. To Seto, Malik was the source of the endless terror on her ship and in her tournament, sowing seeds of discord without care. He was another with a God card, and one who needed to be stopped... But he was also a threat that could not be taken lightly, a threat that had and would kill without hesitation.

The lift came out into the open air of the rest of the tower, but for some reason that he felt he knew the origin of, he wasn't surprised with what he saw. As Isono and the others appeared, and rules came to mind, he had a feeling he knew where 'that' came from as well, making a note to at least pretend to pay attention once the rules actually began to be explained. The tower's 'top' was far from sight, each 'lift' stopping about twenty feet from the floor with a large number to spare. There was nothing but darkness above them...

And despite everything, he had to swallow in unease. "Damn th' ceilin's tall," Katsuya muttered, looking up as the others entered from below. Ah- They...

"Hooooiiii, Jonouchi! Yugi!" Honda called from below, shouts from Anzu and Otogi both coming in addition to his own cries.

"Nii-sama! Katsuya-nii!" Mokuba added with a shout. "Good luck!"

Waving came from below, the four competitors looking down for their own reasons as Yugi blinked. "Ah- Guys..!"

" _Is that Anzu?_ " his lighter half asked as he looked down at their friend's eyes, " _Or M- ...Nevermind._ "

"So Jonouchi," 'Malik' shouted from below, the slight double from the Millennium Rod's 'spirit' telling him who it was as golden eyes flashed. The Egyptian's typical grin was in place across the woman's face, hands behind her head in another more 'Malik-like' action. "Any idea what you'll be doing now?"

"Errr..." The blond blinked, looking toward Seto before plastering a somewhat pathetic grin on his place with a laugh. "Hahaha... ...S- Kaibaaaaaa? What's goin' on?"

The woman promptly rolled her eyes, arms crossed as she fixed her 'friend' with a partially annoyed glare. "Hn! Try waiting for the instructions, moron."

"GH!" Oh come on, he was just playing along! ...Stupid flashes and crap... Fine! He'd listen damn it, and-

"Alright!" came a shout from below, the four looking down as Isono again began speaking from the center of the room. "A final briefing before we begin; as you know this will be a battle royale playing by standard Battle City rules! The screens before you will," the man explained, "Should your disk be connected properly, read 'Ready' at the moment," he continued, Katsuya not even glancing down to check. "These screens will show an organized view of whatever is on your opponent's field once this match begins. The more lifepoints lost," Isono went on, gesturing to the marked lines along the lift carriers on the wall, "The further your lift will rise up the side of the tower... By the end of it," the announcer told them, "The first two to the top will be the first to fight. Now... In order to decide who moves first," the man went on, "Each of you will choose one monster card from your deck!" One card? "This card will be removed from the deck for the remainder of the battle," he explained loudly, "And the order of turns will be decided by the attack power of the card chosen! So..."

Make your decision!

Each player pulled out their deck at that, Katsuya narrowing his eyes somewhat as he did the same. Down below, he thought he could hear muttering despite it all being out of audible range...

_'If it's like this_ ,' Anzu was saying during a momentary return of control, ' _It should be easy right? Even if they lose, they'll just be eliminated so-_ '

The woman abruptly cut herself off, eyes flashing gold as the somewhat hopeful expression replaced with a frown. _'No,_ ' Malik said quickly. ' _It's not that easy... This is going to be one psychological mess after another with the way it's set up now..._ ' A psychological mess?

Eh? As Honda had asked why that was, Otogi continued for the Egyptian, his eyes narrowing in slight anticipation. ' _Jonouchi wants to fight Yugi for a promise,_ ' the teen began. ' _He might cover for Yugi with that in mind, in an attempt to preserve both their lifepoints. However,_ ' he added, Katsuya attempting to focus on his cards despite the bad habit of picking up on distant conversations coming to play, ' _Jonouchi also likes Kaiba a lot from what I can gather... And with Malik there, he'll probably not want Kaiba or Yugi to fight him...'_ Absolutely right! And... ' _And of course,_ ' Otogi continued with a cough, ' _The trend in most battle royales is that one person will be targeted by all the others, so..._ ' Wait?

...So? So 'what', what did 'so' mea-

" _'So' it would appear they are thinking of you Merea,_ " the ghost chuckled, Katsuya tensing as his friends slowly looked toward him with somewhat worried eyes. W-What!

Oh come on! "O-OI!" he shouted angrily, "What th' hell are y' lookin' at me for!"

Honda tensed, laughing nervously and throwing his hands up in a mock 'shield'. "Nothing! Just keep an eye on yourself alright!" he shouted, laughing again as the others shrugged. Ghhh...

"What th' hell... I'll be fine," he growled under his breath, "Morons..."

He went back to his deck, grumbling to himself as he looked through his cards and fell back into the thought of who fought who. Seto wanted Ra, the most powerful of God Cards, which was in the possession of a psychopathic sado-masocist. But Seto would also want Osiris he told himself, and more than anything she'd want to fight with Yugi. Yugi would probably be torn between all three though; no one could deny he enjoyed fighting against Seto after all, but he'd also made a promise with him to duel him in this tournament. And then of course there was Malik, who was the source of all their problems...

And that same 'other' Malik of course, could probably have cared less so long as someone died in the end and he got his fight. As for himself...

He wanted to fight Yugi, he told himself with a frown. But...

" _But?_ " the ghost in his head asked, narrowing his eyes.

But this thing needed to shut up, he grumbled mentally, the ghost giving a somewhat innocent shrug in response. And besides that... Mai was counting on him, he told himself with a swallow. And moreover Ryuzaki had sacrificed himself to try and stop this guy, and to ignore that would be an insult. Payback, he thought bitterly to himself. Revenge...

And more importantly, to keep Yugi or Seto from falling to the same fate. So, for that reason...

Sorry Yugi, he thought to himself, cards coming to mind as the others made their decisions. But he had his target. He knew he made a promise...

But he was going to battle Malik, regardless of those words. A card, the swordsman of landstar was pulled from his deck, and as the others held their own cards out Isono nodded from below. The weakest monster would put him in last; he'd be able to better figure out how to attack if he knew what everyone had played, even if it put him at a disadvantage...

"The decisions have been made," Isono announced, before continuing on as cards came to Katsuya's mind. Seto's card was the 'Masked Beast Des Guardius', taken from the masks of light and darkness as ante. Yugi's was the feral imp.

Malik's was, just a few hundred points ahead of Yugi's, 'Rekunga'.

"The order of play is the following; Kaiba Seto, Ishtar Malik, Mutou Yugi, and finally, Jonouchi Katsuya!"

" _You're last..._ " Of course he was last. " _...You did that on purpose,_ " the white ghost muttered, Katsuya merely smiling wryly as Seto gave him a somewhat suspicious look from across him. Yeah... He did. But it wasn't like any one would-

...Notice?

" _Hey?_ " a voice asked. " _Jonouchi-kun..._ " Eh! The blond blinked, looking to the side as Yugi's lighter half hovered in the air beside him with a somewhat blank stare. Ah...

"Y-Yugi," he hissed under his breath, the call for each player to draw their hand coming as the blond coughed and attempted not to draw attention to his conversation. "What'r you..."

" _Other Me is still trying to decide who he wants to fight against,_ " the boy admitted, biting his lip with a slight shrug. " _I decided to give him some privacy... ...Ah..._ " He tensed somewhat, as though just realizing the slight bit of hypocrisy in the words. " _Um... I'll leave you to do the same if you want,_ " he admitted with a slight swallow. " _I mean, the duel's about to start and all,_ " Yugi continued somewhat nervously, " _But I wanted to wish you luck before going back to the puzzle and-_ "

"Hey," the blond said with a smirk, "'S fine." His friend stared somewhat, and Katsuya's smirk grew. "Bounce around all y' like," Katsuya told him, "I know y' won' cheat. Sides," he added, crossing his arms as he chuckled to himself, "Not like I look at m' hand anyways righ'?"

The spirit blinked, before rubbing his head with a nod. " _Well... I guess not... It definitely makes it easier to cheer you on when I don't worry about your plan potentially slipping through to the other me's head,_ " the boy admitted quietly. " _But... Do you really not look at your hand at all?_ " he shouted incredulously. " _Seriously? You said you could see your draws before it happened,_ " he continued with wide eyes, " _But that..._ "

Again the blond shrugged, his hand folded under his arm already as his hand of cards floated around his mind. "Eh... Comes w' weird psychic abilities I suppose. I got used t' it by th' fight I had w' Kajiki really," he continued with a grin, the spirit beside him pulling a face.

" _Ehh..._ "

"LET THE MATCH BEGIN!" came a shout from below, cutting whatever Yugi planned to say off as the spirit sighed moved to a more middling point between his friends. Katsuya immediately stood straight, watching the field with those words as he prepared for what was yet to come. "DUEL!"

Alright... Lets do this! "My turn!" Seto announced first, Katsuya narrowing his eyes at the field in slight expectation. "I set a card," she began, a searing light growing from the wall behind her to outline a blank-faced tablet, the outline appearing to almost be traced by two glowing and moving points. "In addition," the woman announced, two other 'lights' tracing along the wall, "I summon the Blood Vorse in attack mode!" Alright, now how was the monster's summon going to work with-

The blond tensed as another tablet appeared in the confines of the wall, stone slowly edging its way forward from the edges of the wall they were leveled with. It grew first along the lifts. Then forward to form a 'net', and then a floor... Until by the time the demonic axe wielding warrior appeared from its enormous and somewhat curved tablet at the side, there was nothing but solid stone meeting his eyes. An arena...

And given the 'lines' between each player each side would move with them, possibly curving the stone to match each height. This...

Briefly, the light Yugi seemed to look at him oddly, floating slightly closer as he opened his mouth to speak. " _...Jonouchi-kun?_ " he asked, Malik summoning a monster in defense as the stone carved at his side to reveal the etchings of a demon of sorts, " _You're not looking at the field..._ "

No, he thought to himself as the 'Other Yugi' as well summoned a monster in defense before setting a card. No he wasn't... But by this point, that hardly mattered, did it?

"'S nothin'," he muttered quickly as he drew, "My turn!" His hand was fairly bad of course, even with this draw. Not that that mattered. He'd manage nonetheless, mark his words! "I set a card face down," he called out, biting his lip as the ghost in his mind watched in silence and as those below attempted to ascertain whether or not he'd looked at his hand. The tablet appeared in the wall at his side, blank-faced and hiding behind it his only real option for a play as he frowned. "End turn!" Now...

Here came the first wave. "Hn... Jonouchi," Seto called from across the blond, Katsuya watching as the Vorse raider at her side twirled it's weapon and sneered, "Allow my to show you exactly how far out of your league you are here! Blood Vorse!" she ordered, the monster halting the spear's movement in his hands before charging toward him. "ATTACK!" Gh...

Here it came! Three he thought, the Vorse's grin widening. Two, and he could tell that this field had either been lengthened by his mind or that the raider was slow... One-

" _GH- WHAT_!" the monster snarled incredulously, a shout mirrored by his summoner. " _What the-_ "

"ACTIVATE TRAP!" Yugi roared from the side, Katsuya throwing his eyes open as the monster before him was suddenly wrapped tightly by a net of chains. The tablet at Yugi's back was glowing, almost 'spinning' in the center as the chains twisted around themselves, pulling tight on the monster before him. "Regulation of the Tribe," the boy continued as the chains twisted and pulled even tighter, "Allowing me to decide on one type of monster to keep from attacking... And in this case," he announced with a wide grin, "That's Beast Warriors!" Ah...

Then...

He made his decision, Katsuya realized with somewhat wide eyes.

" _Grrrh... Foolish 'KING'!_ " the Vorse spat in response, struggling against his bonds as he snarled. " _Our master will have her match damn it! RRGH... Let... ME... Out.._!"

Katsuya raised an eyebrow at the monster's antics, the Blood Vorse turning briefly as the blond stared somewhat bemusedly. "...Y' done yet?" he muttered under his breath with raised eyebrows, Yugi's own spirit momentarily distracted by whatever move Malik was about to make from the side as Katsuya continued to stare. "Cause I really don' have time f'r th's crap..."

The monster instantly froze, 'hovering' in place as the chains around him stiffened. " _W- Y-You... An Ancient?_ " the Blood Vorse muttered, single colour eyes widening with alarm. " _But how..._ "

Who knew; he didn't even know why they kept going on about all this 'ancient' crap quite frankly. All he knew was that Yugi was trying to protect him. Which meant Yugi wanted to keep their promise, and wanted to fight him in the next round. Which meant that he...

Well... Damn it.

He'd have to break that promise.

* * *

That... Idiot. Seto's eyes narrowed as holographic chains wrapped around her monster, the woman's arms still crossed as she ground her teeth. Defending someone other than himself...

Tch! "You... Yugi... You dare interrupt my attack!" she hissed, the boy giving no response other than to stare at the field indifferently before smirking somewhat. "...Tch..!" Of course she reminded herself, the traded conversation from the helicopter a day prior coming to mind. That stupid promise between the two... That 'promise' to duel each other.

Though admittedly she thought to herself, that would be the best way to keep him from potentially getting himself killed against Malik... But at the same time, she knew for a fact that Malik would want to target Yugi above anything. Which meant he would be trying to whittle Kat- Jonouchi down anyways.

Which meant, that if Yugi targeted herself and Malik in the meantime, while Jonouchi targeted Malik himself (she was fairly certain the moron would have some excuse like feelings or whatever to not go after her...)...

Tch.

The fact was whoever lost was facing Malik, and as far as things went, she'd rather no one other than herself face the bastard at all. And since it looked as though the 'promise' would be in the way... Well.

There was always provoking to try.

"Y-Yugi," Jonouchi was muttering at the moment, looking to his friend in apparent shock before turning away almost guiltily. Hn. Now what was that about...

Almost as though he had wanted to be attacked... The woman narrowed her eyes, before shaking it off and steeling her gaze. Whatever. She needed to get her priorities straight. She'd need two God cards to take down Malik. She needed to, no matter what, fight against Yugi to do that- otherwise, no matter who it was that challenged Malik, it would end in disaster.

There would be a twenty minute break between this match and the finals for each player to prepare their deck (not to mention stall for the helicopter...)... She would have to make sure she matched the blond against Malik and then somehow convince the idiot to forfeit ( _somehow_ ) during that time. So...

"Hn! What kind of security guard are you?" Seto growled, Katsuya instantly honing in on the insult as she gave him a sneering grin. "Relying on your friend's protection... I suppose when it comes to dueling," the woman went on, "It's almost expected..."

The blond tensed, gritting his teeth as he reddened. "GH- What was tha'..?" Already getting a reaction hn..? That was good...

"Hnhnhn... You heard me," she chuckled, a dark smirk coming over her face as she thought of the following matches she had in mind. "I told you you're weak. Useless at this game!" she continued, watching as the blond more and more visibly enraged. "But I digress... I'll just let you continue on as though you're all friends in this 'Battle Royale'," Seto 'decided' with a laugh, "Because no matter what, I'll still know this; I'm a challenge to Yugi. Malik is a challenge to Yugi. But you," she went on, eyebrows raising as Katsuya continued to growl, "Well... I can't even count the number of times you've lost to him... And Yugi isn't going to 'save you'," the woman laughed, gesturing toward the blond across from her as her grin grew. "He's going to use you as a stepping stone to the final arena, as an easy way out! THINK!" she roared, slipping the hidden message in her words with a grin. "The three you face each carry God Cards! And you just hold a half-baked deck of luck and chance! Whoever fights you is guaranteed to make it into the finals... Call it 'sympathy'," she 'sighed', the grin lessening to a smirk, "But I-"

"Kaiba..!" Ah- so much for Katsuya going first. "That's enough," Yugi growled, the opponent whose turn it was currently leaning against the wall in impatience, "Jonouchi and I made a promise... He's more than worthy of fighting anyone here!" the boy continued bitterly, "And more than strong enough to defeat whoever he fights against! And no matter what," he shouted clearly, "I-"

"Oi, Yugi!" Hn? Katsuya? Seto and Yugi both turned, the woman in question frowning as the blond, still red-faced, held a look of apparently calm and contained rage. "Tha's enough," he said with a slight smirk, hand of cards only loosely held in his hand. "I already know what's goin' on here... An' y' don' have t' worry abou' takin' Se-" She tensed- don't say her name...! "...Kaiba's words t' heart." Thank god...

The moron had gone through the equivalent of a few days with nothing but that 'Seto-chan' bullshit, and if he slipped even once...

A slight chuckle came over the air, the woman pulled from her thoughts. "...Heh..." A smirk came over Katsuya's face, Seto frowning somewhat as the blond went on. "You don' need t' worry abou' me," he said with a slight grin, eyes not moving from her own location. "I'll be jus' fine..." Those words...

He was looking directly at her but... Were those words for his friend, or for her? Briefly her eyes narrowed, more than they already were, but in the end the woman snorted and tossed the thought from mind. Fine. He could do what he wanted she told herself with a quiet growl. She'd just have to find a way to make her plan work regardless. No matter what she would fight Yugi in the next match...

No matter what she thought as the time for her turn ran out, she would defeat him, and using the Osiris card she received she would-

"My turn," Malik drawled, a somewhat amused expression on his face as the Egyptian pondered what would happen after this. "I set one card on the field and summon Lord of Poison, attack mode!" the blond announced. The barbed tentacle beast appeared in a slight shower of holographic light to hover through the air, and their opponent continued on. "In addition," he called out with a grin, pointing his other monster forward as it shifted into the same mode of play, "Newdoria attacks the Blood Vorse!"

…

What.

The hologram of the strange zombie-like monster threw up an arm, charging forward as Seto narrowed her eyes. "Interesting," she muttered, those on the field as well staring. Attacking with such a less powerful monster... Now that would mean death for him but-

...Newdoria exploded from existence upon contact with her monster but with it her Vorse raider scattered into pixels in the air, Seto finding herself stiffening as she was caught off guard. "Activate Newdoria's special effect!" Malik had shouted, his opponent's slightly curious smirk falling flat as the woman's eyes widened in shock, "When sent to the graveyard, he can destroy one monster on the field... I picked your Blood Vorse!" the teen cackled, before the hologram of a spell appeared on a field to continue with the turn. "And in addition," he continued, Katsuya's momentary grin at what would still be Malik's loss quickly fading as he turned to look at the spell with apparent knowledge, "I activate this... Spell of Pain!" he announced, the rest of the duelists staring at the card themselves. "Transferring the battle damage I take this turn to another player... And I pick Jonouchi!" Huh.

Well. That worked out too she supposed.

"E-EH!" For a brief moment, Seto had to smirk as the spell took effect and as Kat- (JONOUCHI!) paled. It looked as though her opponent's attempt to destroy Jonouchi would work in her favor after all, allowing her to get both blondes closer to defeat. But as the hologram flashed out of existence and the lifepoints fell, the blond seemed to buckle in an unseen fit of pain. His lift was raising up to almost the '3000' line so it was hard to tell from her position of course...

But it looked almost as though some invisible force had constricted him. As though something was coiling around him, squeezing him tightly beneath an undying and pressurizing force. And as the lift came to a stop and the blond looked downward with a still pale and laboured looking expression she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, eyes somewhat wide with confusion. "You... ...What's happening to you..."

* * *

As tendrils of shadow wrapped around his body from the spell of pain it took all he could not to reveal any form of reaction to the attack. For the moment his thoughts were whirling. He knew what Seto was trying to do for match ups now. She was going to fight Yugi, then fight Malik with two gods, that was her plan. And between that, before his own match, she was going to try and somehow convince him to pull out of the match against Malik. Hell, he'd even seen a snippet of that conversation, the raged yet fearful look in her eyes as she shouted at him. As she said...

' _He'll kill you_.'

He hadn't heard much more of the conversation obviously. But it was more than enough to catch on. A part of him almost wanted to say 'awwww, she cares..!'

Another wanted to cheer and scream and shout that she was at least somewhat returning some affections, regardless of whether they were as a friend, family member, or simply a member of the staff. Just wanted to say ' _maybe, there's a chance_...'

But the pain that was now squeezing at him was more than enough to take his attentions away from this, and as the chains that had once held the blood vorse fell limp and vanished, he had a feeling Yugi noticed. " _...Jonouchi-kun?_ " the boy was whispering, his friend gritting his teeth as he appeared to 'look over' the side of his lift. Fact was, he couldn't see shit over this. The 'stone' that took up his field was too far out, and the most he could see was around the edges of the tower where each opponent sat. All he could see was rock.

But it was better than looking up through this pain.

As he noticed the 'ghost' standing at his side he steeled himself, swallowing back the wave of intense pain as the tendrils finished their constrictions and vanished with the wall carving it came from. " _Jonouchi-kun,_ " Yugi was repeating, his friend breathing somewhat haggardly as the screen made its corrections to the field and as tablet dust filled in the etched carvings on the wall. "Jonouchi-kun!" Yugi called out, " _Are you alright..?_ "

"H... Heh..." Suck it up, he told himself. Suck it up! "Gh... Never better," he said with a swallow, the other Yugi making his own move as he tribute summoned the 'Demon Gilfer' below. This monster didn't need the stone arena for his support he noted as the etchings appeared along the wall; in fact, rather than settle with stepping out to the stone it flew out into the upper reaches of the tower from a burst of dust and sand, its form chuckling and laughing as Katsuya's eyes followed it through the room. "...Never better," the blond repeated somewhat quietly as the demon chuckled, taking form and stretching its wings with a roaring laugh. Never...

Better.

...And here he'd gotten somewhat used to not hearing them go all out like this... " _Haaahahaaaaaahhhh! This is nice~!_ " the monster roared, a toothy grin in place as it swirled through the air. " _I've never been able to fly this high in a match before! Normally there's a roof, or some kind of stupid field limit, but damn! HEHEHEHE... This'll be fun!_ " Er...

Glad to hear, he thought to himself. And seeing how Yugi ordered an attack...

Should probably get moving he muttered mentally, watching as the monster charged a blast of fire within its mouth. " _Jonouchi-kun?_ " Yugi asked worriedly as the blond watched flames blow down toward Seto only to be pulled toward Malik's monster by the activated trap she retaliated with. Seto was of course amused by the fact that the attack from her rival would be used to bring Malik closer to a match against the one she planned to talk into forfeiture, but as yet another trap was activated there was a brief scowl. " _What are you looking at..?_ "

The blond blinked, shaking himself off and looking back to the spirit at his side as his friend's other half used a 'Seven Tools of the Bandit' to allow Seto's attack through regardless, despite the fact that it had been his attack in the first place. The machine rose...

Malik's lift was now even with his own, creating an even slope between one half of the field and the other. But no one else could see this, he reminded himself.

No one!

He shook himself, drawing a card and setting it on the disk as a tablet began to carve beside him from the curved 'steel' wall. "Nothin'," he said with a forced smile, making sure to keep his voice down while he spoke to the spirit. "Nothin'..."

Dust and smoke rose along the cracks of the carving, and without looking he could see steel forming. "' _If by 'nothing' you mean 'me',_ " Gearfried muttered with a stretch as he stepped out onto his summoner's currently sloped arena, " _Then I suppose it's not a 'lie'._ " The monster cracked his neck, looking out to the rest of the field before gesturing around them. " _Hnn... … Are you going to announce the summon anytime soon?_ " he asked somewhat absently, " _Because I'll be completely useless until then you know._ " Wh-

Oh come on! Katsuya instantly gave the monster a pointed look from the corner of his eye before looking forward, leaning somewhat against the stand and choosing not to give him a verbal response. "My turn," he announced, the others watching with varied expressions as the blond went on. "I summon Gearfried in attack mode!" he shouted, before narrowing his eyes and staring at the field. And now...

To make sure he fought Malik instead of her...

"ATTACK S- KAIBA!" he ordered, the woman in question tensing somewhat in shock.

"W-!"

" _Got it!_ " Gearfried shouted, blades sharpening against each other as he grinned. The monster skidded down the stone 'hill' that the raised arena had formed, blade held at the ready as it cut toward the woman before him. Keeping to the strangeness of the 'nature' of these duels the blade passed through without a single mark. There was a slight grimace from whatever holographic reaction occurred of course. Not to mention a look of absolute rage, but in the end all he could do was grin even as the woman muttered threats and growled in anger. This kind of duel...

Even with everything at risk, it was still fun, wasn't it? "Hehehehe... Am I still 'useless'?" he asked, a smirk on his face as the stone field around Seto's lift rose into a hill that moved high above the '1000' mark to hit '2200' lifepoints. "Am I still a 'make-inu'? Someone who can't stand on their own two feet?" There was no answer, and as he folded his hand again he crossed his arms. "My turn's over!" he continued with a laugh, leaning back as he grinned. "So do yer worst, Se... ...Kaiba..."

"You... Moron..!" Ooooh, she was pissed... Three new blank tablets were carving themselves out as Yugi continued to stare at his friend oddly, and as Seto took her turn with grit teeth. "Set three cards," she snarled, before a fourth tablet formed among the trio to etch into its form a masked swordsman. "And next, I summon the Blade Knight in attack mode!" From the blade knight's carving smoke poured forth, and as the blue metal formed and glinted from the dust the knight's summoner continued. "As for my target," Seto snarled, briefly looking down upon the blond with a snarl. It was... "I ATTACK..." Not him. "YOU! MALIK!" she snarled, the blade knight charging toward the teen before 'cutting' him through with a shout. The lift began to move in an instant as the summoner chuckled, relishing in her opponent's aggravation; they'd hardly expected that after all... "Hnhnhn _hnhnhnhn_..!"

Malik was silent as his lifepoints fell, a leering glare upon his face as he looked down upon the woman who had attacked him. His own corner of the arena rose far from its previous position, higher than the blond beside him, higher than the hill that Seto's own arena had formed... And the expression of distaste didn't change one bit. "...My turn," the Egyptian finally sneered, Katsuya only just now realizing that any cheers below had been muted out by the stone arena beneath them. Craaaaap... "I summon Dark Jelloid in attack mode!" he cried, smoke searing from the tablet that carved behind him to send out a mess of flesh and veins. "And now..." Seto had two trap cards, his mind told him. And Yugi's monster was more powerful that the summoned beast. But even without that knowledge, he knew who Malik would have picked for a target, and the fact was that he would have to wait before he used this trap.

"Brace yerself," he muttered under his breath, briefly forgetting the fact that 'light' Yugi was still behind him and listening as he warned the monster on his side. "This'll hurt..."

The steel warrior at his side merely snorted as the demon above them pawed at the ground, taking a defensive stance and preparing to counter. " _Hn..! ...No shit..!_ " Three... Two...

One!

"ATTACK GEARFRIED!" Malik cackled, a wide grin on his face as the mutated and 'centaurian' monster charged. "And activate his effect! Lowering the opposing monster's attack by 800 points," he roared, the monster he was attacking hurriedly ducking a strike even as the demon lashed toward him. Gearfried was weakened by a poisonous mist from the charging monster's mouth, the smoke filling the air. Katsuya closed his eyes, covering his mouth as he attempted to hide a rasping cough, the poison entering his own lungs as well.

" _Jonouchi-kun?_ " he dimly heard, the blond reaching out with his mind as the tablet beside him 'rumbled'. " _Jonouchi-kun,_ " he heard someone calling, " _Are you..._ " Now...

Now, the ability had been used, he had to act now! "Hehehe... Try again!" he shouted up with a slight cough, "I act'vate my trap!" The tablet beside him began to carve its image forth, and instantly the poisonous mist vanished. "Sword an' Shield," the blond announced, still laughing somewhat as his lungs began to clear. "You mighta lowered my attack... But not my defense! Gearfried!" he ordered,

the monster holding a blade forward as he resumed attack, "NOW!"

"Alright!" the other Yugi and his partner both shouted, "Jonouchi!"

" _Jonouchi-kun!_ "

"Go for it, Katsuya-nii-!"

. . .

Crap.

A sudden vision flew across his mind at that moment as Gearfried charged. As Malik paled and as another tablet far at the side began to mist into existence, before smoke poured forth from its form and those below widened their eyes.

This card! "G-Gearfried," the others were whispering in shock, "Gearfried is..."

" _Gh- This... Shrink!_ "

"Shrink?" Katsuya repeated, eyes wide as a wave of acidic smoke blasted forth from their opposing monster, taking advantage of the now halved power and size of it's target. "SHIT!"

"HnhnHAH _AHAHA_!" Oh come on, was it really that funny! "That should teach you to overestimate yourself," Seto cackled from above with a triumphant grin. "Shrink has been activated!" she continued, the grin widening as he scowled. "So much for your 'attack'... Mutt!"

"GH-" Ghhhh... Damn it... While he had the feeling that this was the only way to fight Malik now, this...

Ghhh... They couldn't see it thankfully. Maybe the 'light Yugi' could, depending on how close he was to him right now, but the light burn resulting from the mist simply left his skin in a slightly irritated, reddened state despite the incredible damage to his lifepoints. Of course the mist he'd inhaled was dealing with that just fine...

Burning his lungs just as quickly as he recovered from the attack...

"Hah... Hahh... D-Damn it... S... Se..." Couldn't say 'Seto-chan', he reminded himself. He couldn't...

" _Jonouchi-kun..!_ " Ah... That was... " _Jonouchi-kun!_ " Yugi shouted, still hovering worriedly beside him, " _What's going on!_ " S-Shit... He was still there...

"Heehhh..." If he saw too much more... They wouldn't be able to duel, and... The blond took a rasping breath, looking down upon the field and swallowing. "...Hahh... ...Hahhhh..." Yugi still had all his lifepoints. That was good. So for now... "Yugi," he whispered, the redness vanishing from his skin as it rehealed. "Hah... You should go sit w' yer other f'r a bit, alrigh'?" he wheezed, standing up as he rubbed his throat. "'S 's turn... So..."

" _Jonouchi-kun..._ " The boy seemed to hover backward somewhat, a look of confusion increasing over his face as he bit his lip. " _...What's going on?_ " he repeated, eyes dimming somewhat. " _You're... ...Your skin was..._ "

That was the thing though. It ' _was_ '. ...And now...

It wasn't. "'M fine," he said flatly, looking at the field as a tablet with Kuriboh's image carved out behind the other Yugi. "But I-"

The blond froze, stiffening as the sound of a shout rang through the back of his mind. ' _Gilfer attacks_ ,' he could hear his friend roar, Katsuya turning downward with wide eyes as the demon stood beside his summoner with crossed arms. Gilfer. The monster hadn't moved yet though so... _'AND THE TARGET..!_ ' No...

No! He couldn't let that-

"Now... GILFER ATTACKS!" the other Yugi was shouting, pointing forward as Gilfer spread his wings and launched into the air, "AND THE TARGET IS-”

"YUGI!" the blond shouted, cutting his friend off, those below and above both turning in shock. "WAIT!" The boy frowned, looking up as his friend swallowed. This... He couldn't let this happen! He wasn't letting Yugi attack to avoid him, not today! "Yugi... What is a 'real duelist'?" he asked cryptically, the burn across the inside of his lungs only slightly fading in comparison to the already healed skin over his body. The other Yugi appeared to stare up quizzically, those around doing the same as the blond held his serious gaze. "R'member tha' question?" he 'asked'. "I stayed in th's competition t' find that out... But more importantly," Katsuya went on with a slight frown, "While I was fightin' t' find tha' answer, I was aimin' t' fight w' you in an official match instead 'f some tabletop game..." And Yugi was confused... And Malik didn't care... And Seto thought this was sappy as hell, her expression said it all, but who really cared any more?

And Honda was questioning why he was bringing this up, and Otogi was calling Shizuka to find out how the others were doing while Anzu and Malik both looked up through golden eyes but this wasn't the time right now.

"Yugi!" the blond shouted, decision made. "No matter what, I never back down from a challenge... You know tha'! I fight w' th' monsters in my deck no matter how bad it looks! So tha's why I'm bringing th' words 'f another friend in here," he continued, Mai appearing in the back of his mind as he bit his tongue. "'Besides yourself, everyone is th' enemy here'! An' tha' applies here too! YUGI!" Katsuya roared, eyes wide as he continued with his request. "Don' hold back jus' because 'f our promise. My field is empty... And my life points 'r low. So don' waste this turn! Make th' righ' decision... ATTACK ME!" he shouted, his friend looking up with somewhat wide eyes as others stared with narrowed ones. "No matter what, I'll win th' next match I have... An' I'll face you in those finals, so ATTACK!" Katsuya shouted.

The other Yugi and 'light' Yugi both looked up as the blond grinned from above. As Seto's expression of incredulous and almost haughty mirth in the face of a sappy speech faded to a slight expression of confusion and possible realization. Yeah... He knew what she was trying to do.

But now she knew that he wasn't trying to fight Yugi to begin with. He was gunning for Malik the entire time, and unbeknownst to them they'd just been helping him along.

Malik was close to 'death'. And so was he. So rather than target the others now...

Why not target himself?

' _I understand, Jonouchi,_ ' he thought he heard Yugi say, before his vision was 'corrected'. "GILFER! ATTACK JONOUCHI DIRECTLY!" Yugi shouted, the demon taking to the skies in an instant. "...Jonouchi," he continued, the blond biting his lip and closing his eyes as he waited for the flames to strike, "I'll see you in the finals!" Yeah!

Alright he thought, the sensation of movement coming over him as his lift began to shift under the hologram's already decided damage run. Alright. But...

Where was the attack? " _Yo,_ " a somewhat gruff voice said, the blond opening his eyes to stare at the source. That sound...

"E-Ehhh..." Katsuya blinked as his lift slowly continued to move in response to whatever attack hadn't happened, before shaking his head as the demon in front of him crouched on the lift end and stared. "...Wh..." More silence.

The demon seemed to study him for a few moments before bringing a finger up. W-What...

That...

_-poke_

"Wh..."

" _There,_ " the demon said almost plainly, pulling his arm back with a somewhat cheeky grin. " _I attacked. See you later._ " What... What the fuck..? The blond looked over the bottom of the lift as the demon tipped off backward, giving a slight salute as he flew back to his summoner to allow Katsuya's move to come through. What...

He didn't...

Katsuya continued to stare as the lift shuddered to a stop, looking down with somewhat wide eyes. The monsters. They could choose how severe the attack was. So then...

Back on the pier...

' _Hey man_ ,' he could remember the Alligator Sword warning him, the Millennium Rod forcing the attacks through despite his cries. ' _Watch it... I think we caused some real damage there..!_ '

Was that what they meant? Was it the will of the duelist that controlled the damage? Or was it something else?

Did they just act this way because they knew he could feel the pain? Heck, he didn't want anything to happen to Seto, but Gearfried certainly had no qualms in running her through with a sword...

Katsuya mentally shook it off, steeling himself as he sent a look down toward Malik's position. Malik... He wasn't far from him now, but at the same time he had only a one chance left. He wasn't sure why, but he knew this. The blond narrowed his eyes, teeth grinding as he clenched the sides of the lift. He'd better prepare himself. And as for Malik...

He'd be getting what was coming in just a moment! "...My turn," the blond announced coldly, hand reaching for his deck. Draw! And in his hands... A smirk came over his face, and again without looking the card was placed on the disk. "I place one card face down," he announced, a new tablet carving appearing behind him to slowly seep smoke into the air as it prepared to launch its effect. "And next," he announced, yet another tablet etching its carving out on the stone behind him, "I summon the Legendary Fisherman in attack mode!" Now...

Though the killer whale appeared on the tablet's surface it was only the man who rode the beast that stepped forward, much like he had on the field against Rishid. " _This place... A tower?_ " he asked almost confusedly, looking around as the blond nodded and smirked. Man...

He'd been wondering why he missed this when the poison hit, but now that both Yugis were on the 'main floor' and he was way up here... It was nice, being able to talk to these guys again. "Heh... Yep," he whispered, careful to keep his voice down and mouth more or less closed as he spoke. "This shouldn' take too long though, alrigh'?" he added more seriously. "Jus' one turn." That was all they had...

And all they would need. The fisherman turned at that, seeming to study his summoner's face before nodding. " _I understand... I'll fight until the very end,_ " he continued determinedly. " _No matter what lies in store!_ " Good!

"An' so will I... So," he continued, raising his voice, standing up straighter as he looked down upon the field. "The one I attack... I CHOOSE TH' BLADE KNIGHT!" he announced, looking down as th woman below him smirked victoriously from below. "S... KAIBA!"

As the fisherman threw his harpoon forward, he already knew what was coming. Chuckling came from far below him, and as the woman's triumphant grin came into place she laughed. "Activate trap cards," she announced, her plan supposedly coming into fruition from the blond's 'stupidity'. "Ring of Destruction!" those it the tower heard as the grenades launched forward, "And Ring of defense!" Had Seto been paying attention, she'd have realized the blond across from her was muttering the same thing she'd just called out, having seen both traps in his mind before even attacking. Had the spirit of the 'real Yugi' been standing closer, he'd have realized his friend was literally counting down for the moment the tablet released the ring of grenades forward, and the moment that the shield-laden one sprung forth to protect its caster.

As it were however when the ring latched around his monster the Fisherman gave him a sad nod, eyes filled with understanding despite the grave situation he was currently in. " _I'm ready,_ " he said plainly, the bombs beginning to shudder.

He as well nodded, before closing his eyes. "Alrigh'..."

And in the light of the explosion, the shrapnel seemed to pass through him completely, the trap behind him releasing a thick wave of smoke to both shield him from harm and shoot toward the stones of Malik's own field. The bits of flesh and bone remaining from the Fisherman's charred body fell to the ground harmlessly in the aftermath, but with a jolt it was Malik's lift that began to move upward, the smoke from the tablet shrouding him from view. And in his hands, Katsuya held a card forward, smirking with narrowed eyes as he laughed.

"Hihihih _ihihhh_..."

"What is this?" Malik was hissing, a slight wind seeming to pass through him as the dust vanished and left his lift sitting at the very top of the structure. "My lifepoints... Are zero!" Heheheh...

This situation... He just had to laugh. "Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn... Hnhnhahaha... H _AHAHA_..! Damn straight!" Katsuya said with a smirk, those below staring up in incredulity as the stone around Malik's field and all tablets he'd summoned into existence faded from the walls and scene both. "I act'vated th's! Graverobber! R'member tha' card y' used on me?" he bragged, the hooded robber twirling his tools in hand as he chuckled at his summoner's side. "I used it righ' back on you... 'Th' Curse 'f Pain'!"

Sending all that battle damage right back at him...

"...Word t' th' wise," he continued with a quieter tone, his lift and Malik's own just close enough that all those beneath him would hear was incoherent muttering. "Don' mess w' someone who c'n pr'dict yer moves..."

"Predict?" Malik repeated, before a dark grin came over his face in response. Well... He certainly pieced the dots together quickly with that. "Hnhnhn... Hnhnhahaha... You're more interesting than I thought," the Egyptian chuckled. "I'll be waiting," he hissed, the door above his lift clicking open as he sneered. "You'll be the first to enter the world of darkness! Hnhnhnhnhn..."

The lift vanished up through a hole in the ceiling from there. His field was empty thanks to that move too, but as he crossed his arms and looked down to his remaining opponents with a smirk he still had to laugh. Exactly as planned...

It went exactly as planned! Fighting Malik... It was going to be scary as hell he thought to himself, a somewhat frightened gleam entering his eyes, but at least he'd made it this far.

"End turn," he called down, hand folded back into his hand as he looked down at his opponent's eyes. "So... Le's get th's over with!" he shouted louder. "C'MON!"

Somehow Seto's grin seemed halfhearted after he'd said that.

As though only now she'd realized that it was awareness and not stupidity that led to that attack. But to ignore a direct attack that would kill him would be foolish. Not to mention 'out of character' if such a thought had ever really come to her mind. So with an apparent grin the woman drew her next card and pointed her monster forward, the faceless knight taking his blade in hand with a curt nod.

"BLADE KNIGHT!" she ordered, the knight in question looking up the immense hill before him with a battle ready stance. "ATTACK KA-" Ka? "-JONOUCHI DIRECTLY!"

Did she say 'Ka'?

As the knight charged Katsuya stared, blinking a few times as he waited for his opponent's attack to connect. "O-Oi," he muttered under his breath, shaking himself as he swallowed. "Did... She jus' pull a... 'Me'..?" There was...

No way she'd slipped on his name right? " _Who knows,_ " the knight responded fiercely, appearing in a flash before the blond as Katsuya stumbled back from what had moments ago been empty space. " _But if you even consider breaking what little has been rebuilt,_ " he snarled, blade abruptly raised to the blond's neck as he swallowed in growing fear, " _Know that we won't hold back next battle... None of us!_ " N-None...

Eh-EHHH! The blond continued to swallow as a slight cut came at his neck, but as a shout came from below the monster slowly began to vanish, along with any sign of stone and dust on the field. "H... Hahh..." That...

That was way too close damn it! " _Jonouchi-kun_!" Yugi called out worriedly, floating up as Isono announced the match end from below. He was going to fight Malik. Yugi was then going to fight Seto, and then the final match would begin... " _Jonouchi-kun_ ," his friend pressed, the door above them clicking open as Katsuya stared. " _You... Did you know that would happen, that last move? Did you know?_ " he continued on, " _That when you attacked..._ "

The lift was going upward now. As the ghost beside him looked to him with more worry and fear than he'd ever seen in a long time the blond nodded, smiling weakly and answering as honestly as I could. "Yeah," he admitted, putting his cards back in his deck with a small smile. "I did..."

The worry in his friend's face increased, and Yugi grew pale. " _But-_ "

"Hey," Katsuya said with a grin, giving a somewhat 'corny' thumbs up as he continued to rise upward. "Don' worry... After all," he said with a weak smile, the lift disappearing through the hole above. "Shadow games... They don' mean a thing t' me..."

And with those words he left the ghost to stare at where he'd vanished from in horror, with the door closing over to leave him in some unknown dark room.

A room which filled with light from a lamp above him just seconds later. "Hnn... Th's place..."

Yugi had returned to the puzzle with his other half for some reason beyond him. That was the only thing that would explain why he'd suddenly stopped following him after all. But this room... The lift had risen along the edge of the wall and room as expected. It would probably do that until the end of it as well. Not as expected however, it had also stopped before its apparent destination.

There was a hole above that was closed off, a door which the lift was clearly meant to pass through at some point. But for the moment he was inside a curved, quarter-circle room with the corner cut off from in front of him, a corner that was replaced by a door in the middle of a long flat wall. There was a speaker on one side of the room he was in, along with a table, a chair...

" _-Attention Duelists,-_ " a voice announced through the speaker system at that moment, Katsuya turning to step out of the lift as Isono's voice carried through the air. " _-We now enter an intermission between now and the following semi-final matches. For the next twenty minutes,-_ " Isono stated clearly, " _-You will be given time to rest, look over your decks, and use provided facilities if needed. Visitors will be allowed during this time,-_ " the man continued, " _However, entry into each room will require either admittance from the inside, or the pass-code, which is provided on the desk in each room. With that, I wish you good luck!-_ "

And that was done.

Katsuya stared at the speaker for a moment as he disconnected his duel disk, looking over at the table to blink at the card with neatly written numbers on it. Not that he could read it from here but...

'0125'... "Hahaha... They used m' birthday," he muttered to himself with a sigh. Clever...

But wait...

How did they know he'd be in this room!

The blond shook his head, taking a seat on the chair and pulling his deck from the duel disk with a sigh as he pushed the thought from mind. Ahh... Probably just a coincidence, he told himself. Nothing more than that... " _Hn. If you believe in 'coincidences'_ ," the ghost in his mind muttered, the owner of said mind briefly closing his eyes as the image of the spirit came through his head.

Katsuya sighed in response to the words, idly looking through his deck as he frowned. "Hnnnggg... Can't y' jus' leave me alone already?" he asked, rubbing his forehead as he put a few 'sorted' cards on

the table. "I mean, bad 'nough I don' know who y' are," he continued, the ghost seeming to frown with the statement, "But-"

" _Jonouchi-kun?_ " a faded voice shouted from outside, the blond looking up in slight confusion. " _Is it alright if I come in?_ " Ah? Hah...

So that was the reason why he hadn't followed. He was being his usual polite self. The blond put his deck on the table, nodding before giving his answer with a smile. "Eh... Sure!" he called out, the smile widening into a grin. "C'mon in!"

At those words the spirit poked his head in, a somewhat worried frown on his face as he made his way further into the room. " _Hi... ...Um.._ " There was a somewhat awkward pause, the spirit looking to the side and flushing somewhat as he attempted to properly phrase his thoughts. " _...About earlier..._ " Errr... Earlier. Right. Mentioning shadows...

Yeeeaaaaaaah, he didn't exactly leave with the best line did he...

" _When you said the shadow games wouldn't mean anything_ ," Yugi began somewhat nervously. " _I... ...What exactly did you mean by that?_ " he asked, biting his lip. " _I mean... I know I said I wouldn't bug you about this... And that you've already shared what you can_ ," the boy continued, rubbing his arm with a frown, " _But with everything going on, I'm worried and..._ " Aww Yugi...

Stop making him feel guilty damn it... He...

He'd say something, honest! Just not now, not before this match...

Not when everyone he knew would want to pull him out with that knowledge... "...'S nothin'," the blond lied, mentally kicking himself in the crotch for his words before continuing. "Heck... It ain't so bad righ'? I figure tha' if th' shadows weren' suff'catin' me b'fore," he went on with a smile, "It'll be abou' as bad as if you were playin' righ'?"

Yugi pulled a face at that, looking to the side in worry for a few moments. " _Jonouchi-kun,_ " he began, hesitating somewhat before continuing on. " _...That... That may be so but... Why would you put yourself up against Malik?_ " he asked, biting his lip. " _Why..._ " That... The blond smiled sadly, looking back to his deck and staring at the few cards that were looking up at him.

"Truthfully?" he 'asked', before looking back to the boy. "B'cause... When you were out cold on th' airship, an Malik stood above me... What he said..." What he didn't tell anyone he said... "...I can't live w' myself if I pass up th' chance t' beat him," Katsuya said quietly, eyes growing dim as they moved toward the floor. "F'r Mai, f'r Bakura, f'r Ryuzaki... Hell," he added with a slight snort, "F'r everyone! I know I said I'd fight with y'," he continued, smile dropping as he looked to the boy seriously, "But I stand by my word. I'm gonna win agains' Malik... Mark my words! An' while I can't read tha' card," he added with a grin, tapping his head as it twisted into a darkening smirk, "He'll be in f'r a nasty surprise when he tries t' summon it," he laughed, his friend pulling a slight but sad smile in response.

" _Jonouchi-kun..._ " Come on Yugi... Don't be upset about this. He'd be fine.

He'd be fine! The boy nodded slowly as he studied his friend's face, before making the action again and with more confidence.

" _Alright,_ " he decided, forcing a smile to appear. " _I understand. I can't change this anyways so... Jonouchi-kun, no matter what you have to win okay?_ " he told his friend determinedly, Katsuya nodding in response. " _I'm counting on you... Keep your promise!_ " he called out seriously, " _No matter what!_ "

"I will!" the blond said with a grin, giving a slight 'salute'. "Count on it!"

" _Alright... ...I'm going to go check on the other me now_ ," Yugi said quietly, fading from sight with the smile still in place. " _Jonouchi-kun... ...Good luck..._ " … Yeah...

Good... Good luck, he told himself. He...

" _Oooooiii..._ "

. . .

That... That sound...

Someone please tell him he didn't hear that.

" _Psssstttt,_ " the voice repeated, " _Katsuya-jun..!_ " Tell him.

PLEASE. Someone tell him he wasn't-

Wait 'jun'? " _I'm fairly certain that it's 'real' Merea,_ " the ghost in his mind muttered, more noises coming over the air before he could complain about stow-away spirits. A slight rumble came from the cards he'd placed on the table, Katsuya looking back to them with a swallow as the hissing sounds arose again. What was this...

... "Errr... ...H'llo...?"

" _FINALLY!_ " an annoyed, if not slightly familiar and high-pitched voice called out. " _MAN! We've been trying to talk to you for AGES!_ " the voice groaned, a shaking head with glowing gold eyes coming to mind. That face...

That was... Hey wasn't this the voice of-

"...L... Little Winguard?"

" _Yeah! Yeah it's me!_ " the Winguard shouted cheerfully, " _And-_ "

" _And we're ALL here_ ," a somewhat more mature voice said gruffly, Katsuya narrowing his eyes somewhat. Okay... He didn't know that one, so who... " _Flame Swordsman by the way- you haven't summoned me long enough for us to have a chat_ ," he continued plainly, " _So I don't expect you to know who it is._ " Oh.

Um. That made sense he supposed...

"O... Kay..." The blond coughed, looking around somewhat awkwardly. Man. He sure as hell hoped there wasn't any audio in this room...

...Course by this point he looked crazy enough as it was, so he might as well heap on some more right?

"...Ah... How are you guys talking?" he asked, shaking his head. Because he was pretty sure he had to summon for that.

Just a thought. " _Well,_ " the somewhat lax tones of the Alligator Sword began with a stretch, " _It wasn't easy..._ "

" _That's right,_ " the Flame Swordsman continued. " _Even with how close you are to the realms,_ " he went on seriously, " _Piercing the veil without a summon takes some serious skill._ "

" _Lucky for ussss however,_ " the familiar voice of the Insect Queen muttered, Katsuya staring at the deck with a fairly odd and disturbed expression, " _We managed to gain a verrrrry powerful ally from your lasssst battle..._ " Erm...

"Th'... Th' las..." But how was that even po-

" _Hello boy..~_ "

"N-NYYHHHHHHH!" Katsuya hurriedly fell back from the chair, the sound of scorpions skittering through the air amidst the clattering chair as he choked and sputtered. "Y-Y-YOU!" That monster...

The one from Rishid's deck, it was-!

" _But of course_ ," Selket drawled, the image of the currently humanoid 'scorpion' coming to mind as she yawned and stretched almost seductively. " _You defeated my master in a battle... It's only fair that I join your deck,_ " she continued, giving the blond a smirk as a 'third eye' peered forward from her brow. H-Hah.. Hahahaaaa...

"B... But I... I didn' ev'n take th' card!" he laughed somewhat nervously, scratching his head and putting the chair back up as he gathered the cards in his hands. "So how..."

" _Oh... Well I'm not_ really _in the deck,_ " the goddess added as an apparent afterthought, shrugging as her extra limbs adjusted their positioning. " _I just thought I'd drop by before your match... Your opponent has been causing some incredible problems I hear,_ " she added, a smirk coming over as her 'new summoner' frowned.

The blond's scowl deepened, Katsuya looking at the deck in his hands almost incredulously. "...Tch... 'Incredible' ain't quite my words for it," he said after a moment, deciding to ignore the fact that he was talking to his deck for the moment so that he could keep himself sane. "An' what're you all doin' 'here' anyways?" he added with a frown. "I'm s'pposed t' be gettin' ready f'r my next match."

" _Believe me,_ " the Panther Warrior muttered almost painfully, " _We know..._ " They knew?

And what was with the tone, last he checked they enjoyed these fights and-

" _The thing is_ ," the monster added somewhat stiffly, " _You need to get your bearings straight before you start; we don't plan on entering a shadow game without you being prepared!_ " AH...

Wait what? "H-Hang on..." They knew that it would be a shadow game? And they knew what that meant? Wh... "What?"

" _Shadow games are dangerous stuff_ ," the Little Winguard piped in almost worriedly, adjusting his hat with a sigh. " _They've always been dangerous of course,_ " he added, " _But in this case it's especially so..!_ "

" _We won't be on the field with you this timmmeeee imago_ ," the Insect Queen added, her usual slur creeping across the air to leave a chill down her summoner's spine. " _Your opponent fights with souls... Though our formssss will be there_ ," she assured him with a scowl, " _The battle will be only yourssss..._ "

Um...

O... Okay but... "Wh... Why?" he asked, shaking his head as he neatened the deck out and held it. "Whatdya mean, 'fight w' souls'?" he continued almost in protest, "Why 'm I on my own?"

There was a short span of silence, before one of them answered. " _Your opponent plans to do to you what he did to your friend right?_ " the Flame Swordsman asked, Kastuya nodding in response.

That was what had been threatened...

The action was evidently picked up upon by the monsters before he could voice this, and the Swordsman continued. " _What he did to your friend wasn't the same as normal summoning_ ," the monster explained. " _He pulled the monsters out using their 'human' souls, instead of activating our contracts_."

"Uhhhhhh... ...What..." Contracts?

...Seriously... Guys... Stop filling his head with confusing crap, it was-

" _Hahhh... Allow me to explain._ " Ex- Ah! This guy! " _The cards won't have any effect_ ," the ghost growled in the back of his mind, ignoring the mental shouts to leave his head as he continued on. " _Remember those tablets?_ " he asked, the blond pausing his mental protests to listen. " _They won't appear, because your monsters won't appear either. All you'll be doing is throwing your own life energies onto the field in a pathetic excuse for your monster's form..._ " ...Cheery. Really...

Cheery...

" _Think of it like this,_ " the spirit continued, Katsuya snapping himself from his thoughts to pay more attention. " _You're playing another video game; the monster is your player. Your mind is the controller. Lose,_ " he continued bitterly, " _And you're fucked._ " Eh...

"...That... ...That is..."

" _Actually really accurate,_ " the Alligator Sword said pointedly, his summoner sighing in response. " _You'll basically be in as many places as there are monsters on your side of the field, plus yourself... At once,_ " he finished, the Little Winguard seeming to frown.

" _Hnnn... Well not really,_ " the child-soldier continued with an uncharacteristically serious tone. " _It's more like you're controlling up to five people at once using a remote control in your head, that's a little different..._ " Yeah just a little but-

Hey wait a second! "Th... How th' hell is th's even possible!?" he muttered to himself, before abruptly looking back to the deck with a frown. "Wait... But tha' didn' happen w' Mai!" Katsuya protested. "Tha' didn'-"

" _Hn! Of course it did,_ " Panther Warrior snorted, apparently more than happy to prove his summoner wrong. " _You don't think her mind filled in the blanks? Attack means 'attack', in whatever way possible,_ " the warrior explained shortly. " _Imagination runs rampant when you're influenced by your emotions... Once you lose yourself,_ " the cat hissed darkly, " _You never go back..._ " Then...

The reason they were giving him this warning...

"...Yer sayin' tha' 'f I go in thinkin' you'll do all th' work..." That they wouldn't...

" _Bingo kid!_ " the Swordsman shouted out, answering the mentally asked question with an approving frown. " _Nothing would happen! Because we won't be there!_ "

" _We know of course, that you won't want to back down regardless,_ " the Alligator Sword added with a smirk. " _That just ain't your style Katsuya-jun._ "

" _We just wanted to give you fair warning!_ " Little Winguard shouted.

" _That's right; we're 'your' monsters after all!_ " the Panther told him with a smirk. " _If you think we'll just sit by and let you kill yourself_ ," he continued, " _Then you have another thing coming_!"

" _And while we aren't on the field, we're always just a realm away, sitting within your shadow darling,_ " the scorpion from before chuckled, Katsuya giving an involuntary shudder in response as Selket gave a frighteningly coy wink. " _Keep that in mind, hmmmmmm..?_ "

Stop that.

As the other monsters began throwing in their own two cents Katsuya had to drop the uneasy frown that was still on his face. This...

Hell, getting a pep-talk from his deck was weirder than normal but even so... "You guys," the blond began, staring at the deck of cards in his hand. All his monsters...

He could see all of his monsters, however faded, looking up from that deck of cards and...

"...Thanks guys," he said with a small smile, before locking the cards in his disk. "You really..."

" _Ten minutes left Merea_ ," the white ghost warned, his friend pulling himself from his emotions with a nod.

"Righ'! Okay... Lets do th's then!" he said quickly, making sure each of the cards were in place as he moved for the lift. "Off we-"

_-fzzt_

Eh?

Katsuya turned, blinking as Seto walked in and closed the door behind her. Her expression was more than steeled in appearance, cold blue eyes looking forward as she walked toward the blond. Whatever was on her mind, he probably didn't want to know but...

Well, that was quite obviously not going to happen.

"We need to talk," she said flatly still walking toward him, "Now." Oh.

Talk? Right! That 'flash' earlier... "Kay," he said somewhat laxly, calming down from his initial 'freeze'. "Whatdya wanna talk abou'..?"

...Probably shouldn't have asked, but oh well. "Your upcoming match for one," the woman began, eyes narrowed dangerously as Katsuya abruptly paled in response to a sudden flash of words. "And for another... I want to know exactly how you got this scar, MUTT." A-Ahhh...

Shiiiiiiitttt! "S-scar?" he said with a nervous laugh, stepping back to bump against the wall as an accusing and pointing finger pushed against the scar in question. Searing pain ran from the spot, the blond wincing as he hissed. "Sfff!"

Crap, not helping. "That's right," Seto growled, albeit lessening the pressure on the injury. "Your _SCAR_. I know what I felt in the Virtual World," the woman hissed lowly, "And it's more than evident that what is under this," she continued in gesture to the shirt, "Is no different. There was no scar when you were looked over on the air ship," she added darkly, "So explain... NOW!" Erk...

This wasn't good... "It's nothin'," he said with a slight laugh, rubbing his head. "Jus' th' lightnin' fr'm earlier I bet, nothin'- _GLK_!" The blond was slammed against the wall, shaking himself as Seto continued to hold him in place to shout in what was apparently a sound-proof room.

"THIS!" she roared, holding the blond up with her forearm and hand both, "IS NOT NOTHING! Your neck _BLEEDING_ after a match is not NOTHING!" S-Shit, she saw the cut- "An all encompassing scar resembling a _CRATER_ is not NOTHING! You will explain to me what the hell is going on Mutt, RIGHT NOW!"

The blond's face fell, becoming one of eerie and almost cold severity to throw off his captor as he stood partially on his toes. "...'S nothin'," he repeated, the woman before him looking to him in almost shocked rage as he continued on. "Tha's all there 's. Nothin'. An' nothin' y' say will change tha' either Seto-chan," he added with a smirk, the woman's grip loosening from his shoulder. "Got it?"

"You... You're a complete _moron_ ," she spat, clenching her free hand as she looked darkly to the blond.

Silence.

But only briefly. "I want you to forfeit this match," the woman continued stiffly. "Right now, before it starts..!" Wh-

Forfeit!

Katsuya's face immediately twisted into a scowl, the blond's eyes narrowing. "You know damn well I ain' doin' that!" he growled, growing somewhat red as the time until 'match start' ticked away in his mind. "So what th' hell gives you th' right t' tell me t' do that? You got yer fight with Yugi didn' you?" he continued, the woman before him scowling herself in response to the comment, "So what's yer probl'm?"

"My problem," she snarled, "Is you! You crawl into my life like some pathetic homeless dog... Make yourself at home in my house, with my brother... You..." She was shaking, Katsuya noted with a less agitated frown. Trembling even.

So why...

" _Katsuya_ ," she hissed, the blond's eyes widening at the use of his given name. "I made you swear not to die and I will make sure that you keep that promise! You cannot win this match," the woman warned him gravely. "Even GOD himself would not be able to win you this match... So forfeit. Now." There was silence for a moment. In the back of his mind he wondered if Seto would have bothered with this if they hadn't met. If she'd have even cared. Hell...

She'd have probably put 'honor' in front of 'safety' in that case, throwing him in regardless but...

"...Tha' all there is?" he asked, the woman pulling back slightly as her 'friend' stood before her.

"All there- You... You dare joke about this?" Seto hissed, staring as Katsuya gave a somewhat flippant shrug.

"Eh... Maybe. I don' plan t' lose after all," he said with a slight laugh, ignoring the steadily growing, albeit oddly displayed rage from the woman before him. "I told y' tha'... So you don' need t' worry, okay, Seto-chan?"

He supposed that by this point she'd given up on correcting him really. "Gh- Who told you I was worried!" the woman growled, the 'five minute' marker passing in Katsuya's mind. "You made a promise... I expect you to keep it..! That's all there is!"

"An' I will," he said honestly.

"How do you know?" Seto spat, "He has GOD in his deck! Even your friend can't defeat him right now!"

"Then I'll beat God," the blond responded.

"He's KILLED someone already-"

"Well, so've I," he added weakly, looking to the side somewhat awkwardly as his employer grit her teeth. "So stop tryin' t' convince me t' quit." He knew the risks damn it...

That was why he was fighting. "You..." She was still shaking.

Why...

"You complete and utter moron," Seto hissed, leaning in as the blond was again pushed against the wall as a result, "Is there _nothing_ that will convince you to pull out of this match?" Nothing?

As he was held up by the woman's forearm again Katsuya found himself drifting off into thought. ...Seto couldn't kick him out of the house anymore, not really. Mokuba would fight her on it, and she would cave. He probably wouldn't be fired either and even if he was, Mokuba would likely find some excuse to keep him there. And if he didn't...

...Well...

Maybe one of the others would take him in for a bit, he'd figure something out, but. He wasn't going to rely on this. And...

Hehehe... He...

He could really die here, couldn't he?

"'Could give me a kiss," he joked, a somewhat goofy smile on his face as he was answered with a look of disgust.

"I wouldn't kiss you if you died," Seto retorted rather bluntly, despite the fact that her face was probably a few inches from his own at the moment anyways. "The fact that you would even suggest that is frankly disturbing."

"Heh." Of course it was. "...What abou', 'about t' die' then?” he continued, the woman across him stiffening as the possibility of the blond being serious came to mind.

Just as quickly however the scowl returned, her eyes narrowing. "You... What did I just s- Nh-!"

For a brief moment there was nothing but silence in the room. Seto's eyes widened further than she would likely think possible, while Katsuya's were simply closed in a sense of calm. While his fingers dug into the white jacket the woman before him wore, while Seto's own arms fell somewhat limp, and as his lips pressed against her own for just one simple...

_-crack!_

Yeah.

He expected that reaction.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" Seto snarled, backing away with wide eyes as Katsuya rubbed his nose and head, a slight bit of blood coming through the injury the woman had inflicted. "WHAT... You..! You..!" Nose wasn't broken...

That was good, and it wasn't really bleeding so... "If I'm abou' t' die," he said seriously, bringing his hand back down after wiping the blood away, "Then... I don' wanna die w'thout knowin' what a real kiss was."

"So you pick _ME_?” the woman growled, still a brilliant crimson in colour from where she stood in the middle of the room. "You're a hell of a lot more idiotic than I ever thought," she hissed, neither moving from their spot as the time ticked down to one minute remaining. "You..."

"Of course I picked you."

Silence.

Seto's scowl fell for shock, and she stared confusedly at the blond. "...What..."

He could die out there, he thought to himself again. He could die. So...

Here.

Here it came.

He really _didn't_ know if he'd live against Malik truth be told. He'd gotten himself all fired up, and ready to go, ready to win that fight!

But in the end, he just didn't know. And while he'd normally charge in anyways without worry...

There were things he wanted to do first.

At least while he had the chance. "I..." Which was why...

Before he left...

"More than anything," he began, swallowing as he looked to the woman with a serious gaze. "I really... _Really_ love you. And... 'F I die, I want t' make sure I got t' say tha'," he continued, barely keeping his voice steady as he continued on. "I... I wanted t' make sure tha' b'fore I die, I got a chance t' say tha', and t' show tha'... So for you," Katsuya told the woman, "I'll make sure I reveal as much about Malik's cards as possible. I'll make sure tha' no one else can suffer from th's guy. An' if I win," he said with a weak smile, "And if I don' die," he continued, eyes growing somewhat teary, "Then we can act like it never happened... We can... Go back t' when I didn' say anythin', and back t' b'fore tha' kiss. But until then... Well..."

The hole to the side had opened up already, and glancing at it on the side the blond slowly stepped into the lift beneath it. His time was up.

And Seto was silent. Whether in shock, rage, or anything really she was silent, for at least a moment.

"Moron," she finally hissed, the lift clicking on and starting to move as the woman snapped out of her stupor. "MORON!"

"Heh.. Yeah," Katsuya responded with a small and sad smirk. "I really am one, aren't I?"

"Gh... Katsuya!" The lift began to pass through the door...

And a few seconds later it didn't matter what Seto had said, because he was outside and standing on the arena across from Malik.

And Seto could hardly complain about a kiss in front of him.


	3. Solstice

The air at the top of the duel tower was cold and stagnant, filled with the scent of corroded metal and dusted concrete. Ruined buildings littered the ground in scraps and pieces, creating nothing but homes for whatever seagull hoped to make a temporary nest in the rubble. As the current competitors for the duel he and Malik were currently the only ones standing on the tower top. The lifts locked into place, and as he stepped out of his own Malik did the same, the former wiping a last bit of blood from his nose before looking around.

The sky was clear of any and all clouds by now, despite the weather earlier on. Moreover the ocean surrounding the island was oddly calm he noted. A smooth sheet of water, resembling an all expansive mirror. And with nothing but rubble surrounding an otherwise wonderful sight he was still frowning, looking to the ruins in distaste. "Really," Katsuya muttered as he looked over the side, a slight breeze beginning to pass over the heavy air. "What a waste 'f scenery..."

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." The blond turned, narrowing his eyes as Malik grinned from the other end of the field. "In a few moments it'll look just fine," he chuckled, eyes narrowing in sadistic mirth as he fingered the end of the millennium rod. "Provided I add the right... Accessories..." Accessories? Ughh..

Given the look he got... Yeah. Like hell that was happening.

The sound of the other lifts coming up arrived, along with footsteps as the rest of the crowd followed from the staircase below. "If the duelists could stand on the arena now," Isono's voice called out, the others having no time to do anything other than give Katsuya an encouraging stare and a shout of victory as the pair did just that. "We will now begin the first battle of the Semi-Final Rounds! ISHTAR MALIK VS JONOUCHI KATSUYA!"

The arena clicked with those words, and briefly as they stepped on the lift he heard Malik say something. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Are you ready to fight, _alrrayiy_?" Hnn? Seer..? Wait...

Did that mean he'd taken him seriously back there? As the arena rose up high from the ground Katsuya narrowed his eyes, those around either staring in well hidden expectation or giving shouts of encouragement. Everything was riding on this battle after all. Everything. But that word...

Well, he decided. Even if Malik decided to believe him, it wasn't as though anything could really come by it right?

...Oh who was he kidding.

"Tch... I'm sendin' y' straight t' hell," he hissed, disk locking into position as he looked forward and took his 'dueling stance'. "Got tha' Malik?"

His only answer for the first few moments was laughter, and seconds later the arena locked into place with a short set of stairs at the side in case the referee was needed. _'You can do this_ ,' they were shouting below, Katsuya swallowing somewhat nervously as he looked forward. ' _You can beat him..! You can..._ '

' _You're going to die._ '

Seto's words came to the back of his mind as darkness filled the air and blocked out the sun, Malik holding out the millennium rod as those below began to stiffen. "Hnhnhnhnhnh... I certainly doubt that you'll be doing as you say..." Shadows seemed to spiral out from the single blot blocking the light above them. Swirling, slowly sinking to the ground to cover the entire arena... "The game of darkness has already begun," Malik continued with a hissing grin, the blond before him biting his tongue as shouts and screams filled the air again. "You want revenge so badly," he sneered. "Here's your chance... I'm trembling with anticipation now... Now that I have the chance to test these claims of yours. Why do you bleed in battle?!" he asked somewhat louder, eyes widening with his insanity. "Why do you choke on the poisons of the duel monster's game! I'm so close to finding the answer that I can barely contain myself, thinking of the endless possibilities of torture! HAHAHAHAHA!" Oh...

So was that all then? Gh. Damn it... The blond across from him merely narrowed his eyes with a scowl as questioned mutterings came from the sides, drawing his hand of cards and not once looking away from the Egyptian. The duel was about to begin; technically, it already had. No one would pull him out, no one could pull him out, so for now he had a bit of comfort in that fact despite the possibility he could die.

"Tch... Let's just fight!" he snarled, his opponent holding his disk ready with a short nod. "DUEL! And if you think your 'shadow game' scares me you can think again!" Katsuya continued, slipping his two cards of choice on the field as the familiar smell of arid sands and dust arose beside him. "Set one card," he began, the blank tablet coming up from the side as a suctioning sensation came through his body. "An' summon th' Panther Warrior in attack mode..! Th's game 'f darkness," he hissed, the feeling that came over him increasing in pressure as his shadow stretched and rose up ahead of him into the shape of his summoned monster. "I'll take yer challenge... An' I'll beat you!"

"You keep saying that," Malik chuckled, drawing a card to take his turn as the shadows converged and thundered amid the ever constant screams around them. "But I wonder... Did you predict that?" he asked with a grin, "Or is it all just a bluff?"

No response.

The blond gave no response and soon enough the grin grew, his opponent taking a pair of cards from his hand to set them on the disk. "My turn," he snarled, those below again muttering questions of foresight among the oddly persistent question to the real Malik on 'what he was saying'. "I summon Helpoemer in attack mode!" Malik began, his shadow stretching forward with the words to slowly form a stone bound zombie. "Next," he shouted clearly, "I place one card facedown on the field... End turn!"

The Egyptian's shadow taken even more definition as he said this, a blank stone tablet arising at the same moment. The stone cross with its bound victim stood before him in perfect detail just seconds later, and just as his monsters had warned him there was nothing but silence. The bottoms of each monster seemed to melt into each duelist's shadow, and as a cold wind blew and as screams filled the air there was nothing else but silence. This battle...

"You don't seem very surprised _'alrrayiy_ '," the blond sneered, Katsuya narrowing his eyes further. "In fact I'm surprised you understand me at all... But I digress," he laughed, the blond's eyes narrowing further at the comment. "It's not as though you have any real idea as to what you're doing! And it's your turn now," he continued with a glasgowian grin. "So why not do what you promised and give me as much pain as I gave your friend..." Hn! That-!

...Mai...

"Gladly," he snarled, drawing his next card with a growl. "Like I told you b'fore... I ain't afraid 'f you..!" Not in the slightest, and-

_'How can he tell what he's saying?_ ', he thought he heard below as he prepared his move. What did they mean 'how', he was speaking perfect Japanese! Not even an accent! And yet still the questions filled the air. ' _How can he tell..._ '

But the voices at the side were faded by the curtain of shadows, and by the screams of passing spirits as elongated faces wept and cried. ' _REDEEM US!_ ' they roared, seeming to bounce off an invisible barrier between the arena limits and the shadows before wisping back in a wave of smoke. ' _YOU PROMISED US!_ '

_'It hurts... It hurts,_ ' he could hear a child whimper, ' _So hurry..!_ '

' _REDEEM US... AVENGE US!_ ' the louder ones screeched, ' _NOW..!_ '

"Gh..." Shut up... Just shut up damn it, stop it! "Summon th' Rocket Warrior!" he shouted, shadow seeming to split in two as the needle-headed soldier sprung up from its form. Rocket Warrior couldn't speak. He'd never spoken in fact, as he had no mouth, but even without that it was obvious that the shadow was only that. Each one was directly connected to his own. Each one held a battle ready stance more suited for a fist fight.

And each one was mirroring his voice, a somewhat dead gleam in their eyes as they partially copied his own position. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Activate trap," Malik countered with a sneer, the tablet at his side carving forth before vanishing into the Egyptian's shadow in a wave of almost rotten smelling dust. "Ambush!" Ambush! "Summoning Viser Death from my hand!" Viser-

Oh _FUCK_. Katsuya froze as the shadow shot forward, latching onto his Panther Warrior's skull like some monstrous snake and seeming to duplicate to do the same on his own. The points were just barely latching on as they formed from the black substance. Just barely he noted as he continued to tense in his dread. But all the same the 'Viser Death' clamped upon his head and that of the Panther from his shadow, and while it did that his head was slowly beginning to throb with pain. The drills were ready to spin... "Hg..." And regardless of shadow games, this wasn't good!

"Thanks to the use of this trap," Malik was sneering, a sudden groan coming from the creaking metal of the machine on his head, "I can activate this monster's effect right now..." Shit. "And following that, at the end of each turn," he continued with a sneer, "Your monster will lose 500 attack points until death..." SHI _IIT_. "SO, JONOUCHI!" Malik cackled, eyes wide with expectation as the drills clicked on. "Can you withstand THIS pain!" Gh... SHIIIIIIIIT..! SHIT!

_-RRRRRHHHHHNNNNNNNHHHHHHHHH_

Drills began to spin with those words and the moment they viced into his head his hands flung to the metal, cards falling to the ground as he ducked in pain. "G-GHHRRAAAA _AAAAAAHHHHH_!"

The sound of the drill filled his head, and amid still constant screams he could hear the shouts of the crowd. _'JONOUCHI_ ,' some shouted. ' _JONOUCHI!_ '

The drills continued to spin, moving slowly, at scarcely a snails pace against his head as he attempted to pull the vice away. "RRRG... RRRAAAA _AA AAAAAGGGHHHH!_ " They were still shouting...

They were still shouting! ' _What's going on,_ ' Mokuba cried out in worry. ' _He's... I think he's BLEEDING..!_ '

There was a small bit of blood coming from the vice but it had only barely pierced the skin, nothing more, nothing more than that he assured himself as he gasped for air. The pain came from the pressure behind it... A constant throbbing pain but even so he did not move an inch further than he already had, instead opening his eyes as low and growling breaths escaped him. He held a steady glare across the field, stood against the pain, unshaking...

Watching as his opponent laughed through the sounds of the roaring drill. "Hnhnhahaha... HAHAHAHA! Don't fight it Jonouchi!" Malik cackled, eyes wide as his opponent pulled at the device only to shave his palms. "No matter how loud you scream, how much you struggle!" the blond howled, "You can't avoid death!" Hah... Try him, he wanted to say. Try him! "Increase your hate," the Egyptian sneered, Katsuya gasping for air amid the struggle against his pain. "Fuel your anger, your rage," Malik hissed, "So you can fall even further into darkness!" Further eh?

"Hahh... Hahhh..." No, he snarled mentally, still holding the vice around his head as he looked forward. No... Like hell he was giving in just like that! This was what Mai went through, maybe not in the same way but... Her mind had told her she was going through it. And that alone was enough! And with that in mind he continued to stand even as the pain reverberated through his skull. Malik's face went pale for a brief moment. Just a brief one...

But even so Katsuya held his gaze, eyes wide with a stubborn will to continue on. "Too weak," he hissed through grit teeth, hands bleeding somewhat as the drill finally came to a stop. "Yer gonna have t' try harder than tha'..."

Malik's eyes widened, the Egyptian swallowing as he looked across the field. "But how... You shouldn't be standing through this kind of pain," he hissed, shaking his head. "HOW..." Katsuya brought his hands down from the drills, taking in a shaking breath as he slowly gathered his fallen cards from the ground. Blood... He was getting blood on them. Sorry about that...

As for this asshole... "Who knows," he snarled, sounding far more grim than his usual self. "I'm jus' tha' 'special'... I activate th' Rocket Warrior's special ability!" he continued with a roar, the shadow before him doing exactly that as the sensations of movement rushed across from it. "Attacking Helpoemer! Yer gonna r'gret givin' me free range 'f attack," the blond snarled, watching the monster alter its shape into the familiar 'missile'. "Trus' me on tha'!"

The rocket shot forward in a blast of shadows, ripping through the midsection of the monster before flying back to his side of the field and leaving a trail of smoke behind it. And in a similar instant a hole appeared through Malik's own midsection, the blond snarling as he gripped and clawed at where the hole was. Or where he knew it 'would' be, and where his mind had told him it 'wasn't'. Because though Katsuya could see that his opponent's innards had more or less been forced to the side, now spilling forth from the gaping wound, Malik's mind had more than been able to handle blocking out the physical portion of this dangerous game.

Despite this the cheers from the side had began once again, and as he pushed through the headache the blond continued on with his move.

"Th's attack ain't over yet," he hissed, throwing a hand forward in 'gesture' as the order to attack shot through his shadow and pulled it to life. "Th's is f'r everything you've done t' us!" To Mai, to Bakura, to Ryuzaki... And as an extension to his sister, his friends... "Panther Warrior!" Katsuya commanded, the blade wielding monster charging his opponent. "Finish 'm off..!"

"GL _KACK-_!" One slash and Helpoemer was down for the count, his arm movement mirroring the blade's fall as the monster's corpse smoked back into Malik's shadow, not even leaving time for the wound to take much more effect than a partial slice on his opponent. The Egyptian held a hand to his mouth as bits of bile escaped his throat in the shock of the pain, blood still spilling from the wounds on his chest. "Kgh..." The shock, however, was evidently not enough to phase his opponent for too long. "Hehehehe..." Awww crap. "Hehehhahaha!" AWWWW crap. He was laughing. Damn it. "That..." Laughing far too loudly than could be safe... "That felt GREAT!" Malik roared, his opponent swallowing in unease as the Egyptian grinned. "And it's all going just as planned... Hnhnhnhn..."

Dust and smoke arose from the ground, and as it seeped into his duel disk the blond tensed, watching the white mist curl around the sides. Shit!

He knew what this meant! "Helpoemer's ability activates," Malik sneered, holding the card in his hands as the smoke continued to sink through his opponent's duel disk, cackling echoing through the air as it did so. "In death he becomes buried in the enemy's grave... Forever to sing his 'perish song'. Can you hear it?" he chuckled, eyes narrowing as the screams around them suddenly cut short to watch in 'curiosity'. "I wonder what will happen now..." What would happen...

He didn't need Malik to explain that! The dust converged from within the disk, shooting forth as a song resembling nails on a chalkboard screeched through the air. A mad cackling pierced his ears, a ghostly wail behind it. " _Hnhnhnhn... Hnhnhahaha! A TITHE FROM THEE..!_ " CRAP.

A hand formed from the air, boned and clawed, wide and outstretched as he held his arm back from himself. "S-SHIT-!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Here we go!"

"Crap-!" A slit appeared on his palm as a card was ripped from his hand, the ghostly shade pulling it deep into the graveyard as it continued to chuckle faintly. Card was gone. The crowd probably noticed that, but for the moment did that really matter? "Gh... One per turn," he muttered, apparently loud enough for his opponent to hear.

"Ohohoh... So you know that then ' _alrrayiy_ '?" Bastard... Of course he did! "How interesting," the Egyptian hissed with amusement. "That just makes me want to know even more... What do you see?" he chuckled, eyes widening in his excitement. "Monsters, holograms? The damage is real for you, more than even a shadow game isn't it?" he laughed, crazed expression growing still maddening if it was possible. Don't answer, Katsuya told himself, even as mutterings came from the side. "Well? Am I wrong?" Don't answer!

The clouded finger just flipped him off from inside the duel disk, he noted idly. Should probably ignore that. Even so the cut from the card stung, and briefly switching his hand to the 'draw' one he brought the wound to his mouth and scowled. Ow ow ow... "Sfffff..." Damn that hurt...

Stupid fucking 'hell poet'. And to top that off it was Malik's turn now...

Wasn't it?

Katsuya looked to his opponent with narrowed eyes as the teen chuckled, drawing his card from across him. "Hnhnhnhnhn... I set a card face down," he sneered, the tablet rising tall behind him as dust and stone flitted about the air. "Next," he announced, shadow splitting and stretching in the fashion needed to bring about a second monster, "I summon Gil Garth in attack mode, and end my turn!" End-

End turn? For a moment he was confused. Gil Garth was more powerful than all of his current monsters, a goliath of steel with a spear twice his size in his hands. But in the end, it was his turn after all... And the card he'd drawn just now, having moved his hand back, was Psycho Shocker. More than powerful enough to destroy the ones before him, particularly before his opponent summoned another monster as tribute for Ra! He couldn't tribute Panther Warrior because of that brace of course he reminded himself, blood still trickling down his head in a single thin line. But next turn...

"I summon th' Baby Dragon in d'fense mode!" he announced, a third shadow stretching forward into the shape of a crouching dragon. "Switchin' Rocket Warrior t' d'fense mode as well... An' now-"

"Hnhnhn... Forgetting something?" Malik hissed, a wide grin on his face as Katsuya stiffened, a sudden clack of gears taking his attention as a whirring sound filled the air. "It's your battle phase now! So lets see if your monster's brains or your own spill to the ground," he cackled, blood draining from his opponent's face. Sh... Shi-

SHIT! "GH-GHHAA _AAAAAHHCK... AAAAHHHHHHHGGGGG_!" The vice was squeezing tighter against his skull, the slow drone meeting his ears amid screams. The drills were spinning, grinding away at bone, at skin, at hair, and he was bleeding... If they went too far he'd die, he'd die and there'd be no going back, there'd be no reason for what he'd tried to do, nothing!

_'Jonouchi,_ ' they were shouting from the side. ' _Katsuya-nii!_ ' ' _JONOUCHI-KUN!_ '

He pulled frantically at the spinning drills, cards again fluttering to the ground. He pulled at the bonds holding them to his head, and at the steel controlling the piece, anything, anything to just take away this PAIN! "GHHAAAA _AAAAAHHH AHHHHH_... HHAaaaah... Ahhhhh..!"

Breathe... Breathe, he told himself as the drills finally slowed to a stop, hands falling to his sides to let him pick his cards back up from the ground.

Breathe, just breathe... "I'm not done yet..." Shit! "Hnhnhnhn... Hnh _naHAHA_!" The ghost hand pulled another card free as Katsuya brought them up from the ground, re-opening the slit in his palm as he grimaced. But even as Psycho Shocker was taken that wasn't why he'd grown so pale, nor was the look on Malik's face. "That expression... That card must have been important," Malik chuckled, receiving a short tempered growl in response. The drills had stopped. The drills had stopped but the vice hadn't, and it was pounding pounding pounding...

It was a constant pounding at his head and, "SHUT UP!" he snarled, eyes wide as he gasped for air. Blood was running down the sides of his head, the weight of the head brace was unbearable, he wasn't even sure how he could 'carry' it...

"Your suffering isn't over yet," Malik sneered, grin wide and frightening. "I activate 'Coffin Seller'... Every time one of your cards is discarded," he continued with narrowed eyes, "You'll lose a little more of your life..." A little more...

The ghost hands returned, and Katsuya grew white, a face following the arms and claws with a nasty and haunting grin as the screams of the spirits to the side picked up once more. Shit.

Not good.

" _Hnhnhnhnhnh... It's been a while since we've toyed with your folk,_ " the shade chuckled, Katsuya barely preventing himself from taking a step back as the ghost's words sent a shudder down his back. " _Let's have some fun..._ " Shiiiiit...

Clawed hands reached forward with gaping mouths and idly he found it strange that the only words coming to mind weren't curses. Not good-!

* * *

When the shadows appeared he had a feeling he knew what to expect. Jonouchi had mentioned being able to see the violence as though it were real after all so at first, despite the worried screams of himself and the others as Malik's 'attacks' struck, he had passed the blood off as nothing. Something that they could see because of that strange hypersensitivity the blond carried with him. But then...

Other things happened.

Something ripped Jonouchi's card from his hands, resulting in a cut. And when he attacked, it almost seemed as though he had to move to make his monster do the same. Soon enough it became more than obvious. Something was _wrong_ , he thought to himself. Something was very, very wrong, and not only were these injuries not _illusions_ Yugi realized...

The others were noticing as well. "What's going on," Mokuba whispered fearfully, shaking his head as he stared at the scene. As he watched blood covered hands picking up the cards again... And again... As holograms fizzled and cracked, blood interfering with the sensors on the paper... "What's happening!"

"He's... Bleeding," Anzu continued with a swallow. "Look at his head, look at his hands," she whispered in horror, "He's bleeding!" Being able to voice such things was an impressive feat for the moment. Most were completely lost for words.

"Is... What is..." Sounding just as coherent as their friend on the stage.

"Ghah... Ahhh..." Jonouchi was still standing somehow, and again a card was ripped from his palms as he regathered the small hand together. Malik activated his trap however, the hologram of the Coffin Seller meeting the air, and things got even worse. "GHAH! SHIT- Get-! GET _OFF_! GET-" Get off? But who...

What was he shouting to? Cuts were appearing they noticed. As Malik explained the effect of the Coffin Seller cuts were appearing on his arms, small ones, some longer than others and each of them appearing almost as though inflicted by a series of nail like claws... "Where are those cuts coming from?" Otogi muttered, the crowd rendered silent with shock as they remained immobile. "That... That didn't happen in the last fight Malik had so how..."

At those words most turned to the real Malik in confusion, watching as Anzu seemed to tense. Watching as Anzu's eyes turned gold and as the 'woman' shook her head in shock. "This can't be possible," Malik muttered, shaking 'his' head with wide eyes. "It's not possible, shadow games can't-! They can't _do_ this sort of thing!"

"N-Nee-sama," Mokuba whispered from beside his sister, those on the field unable to hear and those around already aware of identities that would ordinarily be hidden completely. "Nee-sama... What's going to happen to him?" he cried, eyes filled with fear. "Will he... Will he be alright..? Will he..." They didn't know.

No one knew, but...

"...I hope so," the woman muttered, the words bringing no surprise to the crowd for some reason. After all... Above anything...

That was everyone's hope. No one wanted him to die, wanted him to lose, not at all. But the fact was now that it was only the darkness of the shadows causing this light around them, they could see everything clearly, even without the light of the sun. They could see Jonouchi's fingers shredding themselves on some unseen surface, his opponent even frowning for brief moments before resuming his sadistic grin in regards to the pain before him. They could see the cuts appearing from no visible target and before them they could see that even Malik, the 'dark' Malik, was confused. He was confused. Everyone was confused. But more importantly...

"Why does he keep calling him an ' _alrrayiy_ '..?" Alrrayiy? That was right, the one word that was standing out Yugi noted. 'Alrrayiy'...

"That..." The woman beside him frowned, arms crossed. "That's the word for seer isn't it?" Anzu asked. "Alrrayiy..?"

"That's right," Malik answered, the resulting appearance giving the impression that Anzu was speaking to herself. "Things such as Seers and Oracles were fairly common during the times before and after the Millennium Items," he explained plainly, "Though after they were scattered they slowly faded into obscurity, rather than flourishing as they had before. It was said," the teen went on, "That a seer could never choose their vision. And that for a seer to break their own prediction would bring misfortune to all involved. But that doesn't explain any of this," he continued, shaking his head as he stared at the field. "And furthermore, there were no seers mentioned in the records of those times, so..."

"So then why does he keep calling him that?" Anzu finished for him, the gold fading as she swallowed.

"Forget about why, how is he understanding him," Otogi muttered, his eyes widening. "There's a difference between guessing and understanding... Jonouchi should be clueless right now," he continued as he stared at the field. "I mean this... This is..." Neither Japanese nor Arabic...

Egyptian. Old Egyptian.

As storm clouds of shadows continued to converge those on the crowd swallowed, a few of them shuddering under the cold. "Isn't there... Anything?" Honda asked as he watched their friend fight, "Anything that can help to..." To do anything?

"No," Yugi answered almost bitterly, the boy's eyes still staring fearfully at the field. "There isn't."

They just had to hope that no matter what Malik's darker half did...

It didn't kill Jonouchi in the process.

* * *

He was having trouble hearing. He was fairly certain that the drills hadn't broken through his skull of course (he was... pretty sure he'd die then!), but the constant pounding and rumbling it made was giving him a headache. It was pounding an endless drone through his head and it was making it impossible to hear past the arena limits. Moreover...

The blond frowned as his opponent began taking his turn, taking a pair of cards from his hand. A flash had come to mind. On the card to the right but not to the left. But why... Why could he see what he was playing? This ability normally stayed out of the duels. Completely in fact, as though to realize he'd never pick up another card if that were to happen. He understood it coming in play at the last match, where the result would alter match ups rather than 'rank' but now!

"I play two face down cards!" Malik shouted, the two blank tablets rising to his side. The one on the left... He still didn't know what it was, but the one on the right was revealing itself clearly in his mind despite the blank face looking toward him. 'Malevolent Catastrophe'...

Destroying all monsters on the field and inflicting damage while it was at it. If he attacked it'd be over for him of course, but why could he see what the card-

"Next," his opponent announced, shadow shifting and melting as it twisted into a fiendish monster from the formerly metalloid shape it held, "I sacrifice Gil Garth to summon the Legend Devil!" Ah- Legend-

"Gh... Yer kiddin' me," he hissed, taking a step back as he looked over the monster, twisted limbs and shark-like teeth meeting his gaze. 1800 attack points... But more importantly its effect! "700 attack points per turn? What th' hell!"

If he didn't deal with this thing fast enough he was screwed! His opponent merely laughed, a vicious grin over his face. "Hnhnhnhnhn... You can blame the designers for that," the Egyptian chuckled, "But it doesn't change a thing; if you don't defeat it now it'll get stronger and stronger and then you'll die..." No...

"'F I attack period I die," he growled under his breath, opponent muttering an 'End Turn' as he drew his next card. Not that he was supposed to know that of course, he added idly. The blond nonetheless smirked, straightening himself out as he looked toward his opponent. "Hehehehehe... Y' know what though," he decided, "I could careless abou' th' trap y' got on yer field... I got a trap 'f my own," he continued as he grin, his own blank tablet beginning to carve out as he slammed his hand back upon it. The bloodstained hand stained the stone, and the carved rock began to change in colour. Shadowed tendrils oozed from within it, emanating from the bloodied focal point... "Looks like y' played right int' my hands," Katsuya laughed, his opponent tensing in response as the tablet continued to bleed red. "R'veal trap..! QUESTION! We have t' guess th' monster card on th' top of each other's graveyard," the blond explained, pulling his hand back from the stone. "Guess right, an' nothin' happens," he continued with a smirk. "Monster stays dead. Guess wrong..." Katsuya trailed off, leaving that part of the trap to the imagination. "Hehehe... Now th'n," he continued, Malik's expression of shock increasing, "I'll guess first! You jus' sacrificed a monster after all... Tha' means yours 's Gil Garth!" he said clearly, the scowl his opponent gave in response quite unnecessary to know he was right. His grin widened as the Egyptian continued to growl, eyes narrowing in mirth. "Hehehehe... Don' need t' be an ' _alrrayiy_ ' t' know tha'... So tell me," the blond shouted, raising his voice and gesturing around him. "How abou' mine- got an idea on what's in my graveyard?"

The look on Malik's face was absolutely priceless. Rage. Shock. After all...

"Would y' look at tha'?" Katsuya taunted, smirking darkly as he was responded with a desperate growl. "Y' can't can' y'? B'cause you don't know what card was d'scarded... Not like I know what tha' trap on yer righ' is," he sneered, pointing almost accusingly forward as his opponent again stiffened. "Y' got five seconds t' guess!" he continued loudly, his shadow already stretching forth to form a monster as the tablet at his side crumbled into dust. "Five..." Nothing. "Four..." Still nothing. "Three..." The shadow rose taller. "Two..." Arms defined themselves along with a mouth-like respirator mask. "One! Times up!" the blond announced, the fourth shadow-monster taking colour as he spoke. "You couldn' guess... So your monster won' be summoned! But mine on th' other hand..." Low rumbling filled the air and the Psycho Shocker cracked its neck and knuckles, preparing to fight in a manner quite unlike the ordinarily stoic monster. "I summon th' Psycho Shocker," Katsuya roared, glare intensifying as the monster's laser and effect activated. "An' not only tha'!" the blond continued, a glint appearing from behind him, "But his effect kicks in... Blowin' up all 'f y'r traps! So much f'r tha' plan t' make me attack!" he continued with a grin, his opponent ignoring the direct jab at the apparently unhidden trap.

"Rgggh..! You..!" The lasers connected instantly. "You pathetic-!" Stones blasted from the field, scratching the sides of the arena as Malik's words were cut in the crossfire. The tablets on the field save one, were now in pieces. Dust flew through his opponent's wounds and while there was still that blank stone tablet remaining he continued to grin. Hehehehehe...

"How's it feel?" he asked, crossing his arms. "Yer shadow game backfirin' in yer face I mean?" There were cheers from the side again, he realized. They were confused as hell, but there were still cheers. And that...

That was the point. Because no matter what they were seeing of this match he wasn't stopping no matter what. No matter what... And as long as they realized that and supported him on that, he'd pull through.

That's what he told himself, at least. "Lets bring th's battle t' th' next level!" Katsuya shouted, hands spread outward in apparent gesture as the Psycho Shocker did the same. "Here I come Malik! PSYCHO SHOCKER ATTACKS!" he and the shadow snarled glowing energy developing around the latter's hands, "LASER ENERGY CANNON! D'STROY TH' DEMON!"

The blast of charged electricity shot forward as both voices rang across the air, the momentary thought of how odd it sounded to hear Psycho Shocker speak not coming to mind as he watched the sparks fly. As he watched them connect with the shadow before his opponent, sending crackling light off both the demon and its summoner as Malik momentarily tensed and jerked with a stiffened pain. "G-GHH _HAAH_! HNNGGG... You... Dare..." Yeah.

He 'dared'. Katsuya merely held a look that said 'of course' in response to the words, raising a hand in gesture as the rest of his monsters entered attack mode. As the field cleared of monsters at his opponent's disposal, leaving him with nothing but the spell and the brace that was viced across his head and that of one of his monsters. This was still his move after all. And with that in mind... "Alrigh'..!" It was time to finish this. "Rocket Warrior, Baby Dragon, Panther Warrior... All three 'f y'!" he announced, the shadows responding to his mental commands and movements. "ATTACK D'RECTLY!" In hindsight...

He probably should have figured that wouldn't work.

* * *

When Psycho Shocker was summoned to the field there were nothing but cheers all around from those who bothered to speak. Cheers to hide the fear of loss. Cheers to hide the fear of Malik succeeding. Cheers to hide the confusion in regards to what could very well happen to their friend, to hide the horror of what was occurring on the field right before them.

Because with what they could see now there were scratches over his body and two tiny, tiny holes revealing bone on his head, as though drills were piercing it as they spoke. Something that should never have happened, never in a thousand years of holographic advancements, but despite this they could not cancel the battle. That much was clear. Katsuya didn't want to stop, Malik didn't want to stop... And in the end despite all thoughts of fear and worry they were held frozen in place, as though glued to the spot by their own cowardice.

But Katsuya had to win, Mokuba told himself. He had to, above everything! Even though his hands only touched the duel disk to set a card and nothing else. Even though his eyes only passed over his hand when he was moving the cards off the ground after dropping them. Even though he never once looked at his draw, or at the position of the cards, even though his hands shouldn't have been functioning properly...

And even when to activate a trap, he slammed his hand on some invisible surface while somehow making it through regardless. Even Isono was frozen in shock, unable to shout out the number of rules it seemed he was breaking. Unable to shout at him to use the disk controls, or to look at what he was putting on the field. And besides...

Katsuya's action to summon Psycho Shocker was only logical for getting a more powerful monster on the field; so what if he knew the severity of the trap before him while he summoned it? True, they hadn't heard him say anything that would prove this but...

Somehow, amid the shouts of ' _alrrayiy_ ', and among the inexplicably understood words from Malik on the field, he had a feeling that Katsuya really had known.

That he'd not only known the card was a trap, but exactly what it would do and what was needed to trigger it. And now as each of the holographic monsters at his side moved to strike in the form of rocket, dragon, and injured panther, Mokuba had to shudder. Malik was grinning...

And that was never good. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Spell card activates!" Malik cackled, a wave of shadows whirling around him as a holographic spell lifted upward. "DARK AURA SHIELD! You dare to even think you can scratch me?" he chuckled, narrowing his eyes as he continued to shout in the foreign language that was for some reason becoming understandable by the shadows around him. "Hnhnhnhn... When this game ends," he taunted from behind his ashen shield, "I'll leave you in the ultimate state of suffering for this pain you've inflicted on me... But first," he shouted with a grin. "It's the end of your turn!" The end-! "You know what happens next..!"

"GH-" The sound of drills entered the air. "HGGGAAAAA _AA AAAAAAAAAGGHH_!" For the third time that match Katsuya's hand of cards fell to the ground, drops of blood following as the blond's fingers were shredded, pulling at nothing. More blood was being spilt, more screams filling the air... "GHHHAA _AAAAAAGGGHH_!"

"J-JONOUCHI!" Yugi and most of the others shouted, Seto visibly stiffening as palms were shredded and screams slowly quieted. " JONOUCHI, HANG IN THERE!" Hanging in there was one thing...

But how was he supposed to live, when all they could do was shout! "KATSUYA-NII!" Mokuba screamed, eyes wide with terror as he shouted at the field. "KATSUYA-NII!"

Dying, the boy thought to himself through his tears. He was dying and bleeding and screaming and there was nothing they could do about it except watch and wait and cheer as though this was just some rut in a match that could be pushed to the side with ease! Katsuya only had two cards left from what they could tell, two cards which he gathered up from the ground just now as one mysteriously shot into his duel disk's graveyard. Worse, as the blond looked forward with rage filled eyes it was Malik's turn now.

Which meant the opportunity for even more pain to arise. "I draw," the Egyptian said calmly, a low smirk coming over his face as he did so. "You've survived this long... I'd have to say I'm even surprised. You're actually bleeding aren't you?" he asked, grin widening to a frightening extent as he voiced the very horrific truths they so wanted to ignore. "Well... Lets test your stamina shall we?" Malik cackled, his opponent stiffening as a hologram destroyed two of his monsters in familiar tribute styled pillars of light. "I summon the LAVA GOLEM... Using your monsters as sacrifice and allowing your control of the monster..!" La-Lava...

As molten rock arose above the ground behind their friend, encasing the blond in a cage, he paled. "But that monster has 3000 attack points," Mokuba whispered, eyes wide as he stared toward the beast. "Why would Malik give him such a powerful monster?" Why would he do something like that?

His only response was the stiffness of his sister at the side as the crowd grew even more white, and as Katsuya reacted to apparently hot steel, shifting his feet to avoid something that left his shirt smoking and sweat dripping from his body the group fell silent once more. Please, he whispered to himself, unaware that everyone around him was doing the same either in their minds or under their breaths.

_Please, don't die..!_

* * *

He probably should have realized what kind of hell he was in for when his shadow caught on fire and glowed a brilliant orange and gold rather than black. When, as Malik summoned the monster 'Lava Golem' to his side of the field, two other monsters from his shadow became bathed in flames, crumbling into ash. And from the dust below a cage surrounded his form, rising upward and locking over itself to pin him into the cramped place. His shadow twisted around him, grew hotter and hotter... It rose far above him, and seared his still stinging wounds. And even worse...

No one could see what it was doing to him.

No one could see the lava pouring off the sides of the cage, a single drop sweeping by to set his shirt sleeve aflame before he hurriedly put it out. And no one could see the monsters and shadows he fought with. Not like this. And in this heat...

In this incredible heat that was already blanketing him in sweat... "HaaaahH... Haa _aaahH_..."

" _Hang in there merea!_ " the spirit in the back of his mind was shouting faintly, crying out as the voices of shadows and ghostly hands alike taunted him. " _Hang in there!_ "

" _REDEEM US_ ," the spirits roared, " _Are we having fun yet~,_ " the hands chimed in, " _YOU PROMISED US_ ," they cried, " _WHY HAVEN'T YOU HELPED US?_ " The hands again... " _To see an ancient after all these years... Hnhnhn, so delightful.._." And the spirits. " _SAVE US! SAVE US!_ "

And the drill continued to vice his head amid all of this chaos, causing a burning pain to reverberate through his skull as he ground his teeth. As the soles of his shoes slowly began to melt against the heating metal of the cage, melted rubber sticking to the bottom of the steel prison. He couldn't touch it... If he touched it he'd burn his hands, burn anything it touched...

"Being granted a monster with so much power..." That voice... Who- "You should be grateful!" Malik taunted, sweat already pouring down the sides of Katsuya's bloodied face and body as he looked forward with half dead eyes. Psycho Shocker was gone... His Baby Dragon was gone... He was left with the two monsters he'd had at the start and a pile of molten lava that caused more harm than good. "That expression," Malik continued, sneering even further as he laughed. "Perhaps you know of this monster's power?" he asked with narrowed eyes. Yeah... Maybe he did. Each turn...

Each turn the monster's rolls of lava would slide off and burn the cage with him inside, and beside causing damage to himself this meant that if he stopped moving his feet and got himself stuck... Well.

There was really no reason to think of that right? "Now that your troublesome monster is gone I'll set a card face down," Malik decided, pointing his hand toward where the hologram would appear as a tablet rose at his side. "So Jonouchi... What will you do now? You could attack me and win the match," his opponent offered, ignoring the constant shifting feet the blond was moving, "Or you could wait and let the flames of your newest ally burn you to ash... It's your choice!" he added with a sneering grin, his opponent merely shifting his feet as the rubber soles of his shoes continued to melt down. His lifepoints were keeping him alive, he knew that much. He'd have already died breathing in 'boiled air' otherwise, but given that the worst he got was the reaction he'd have to the worst sauna on earth he was still alive. Games had to finish 'fairly' after all, no matter how close to death and beyond it he came. And now...

_'It's YOUR TURN, alrrayiy!_ '

Heh.

Now it was his turn. If he could get the Hurricane card the blond told himself, he'd fix this easily. But the fact was that thing was so far into his deck that there was no point waiting on it, and he knew that. Lava Golem was right here after all, and his mind told him Hurricane wasn't coming out this match, not from the bottom of the deck. So if the Lava Golem's effect wasn't going to wait...

He wasn't waiting either. Even so as he placed his next card in his hand he closed his eyes to think, desperately searching his mind for a way out. Not a single monster in his hand. Viser Death was still attached to him- Er, his monster he corrected as he and the panther both shook their heads at the moment, and moreover there was a trap beside his opponent. Attacking now would be suicide.

Not doing anything would be the same though he reminded himself, wiping a thick sheet of sweat from his face as he gasped for air and steeled his resolve. And damn it...

Fine! "MALIK!" the blond finally shouted, pointing forward and between the bars with a shout as the golem at his side raised his arm. "You'll get your wish! I ATTACK!"

"You attack, do you?" Malik chuckled, eyes widening briefly with mirth. "And here I thought you were afraid!" HAH!

"WHO'S AFRAID!" he snarled in response, throwing in a taunt while he was at it. "I'm not hidin' b'hind a trap that'll only last one turn!" He at least knew that much of the tablet behind the blond...

Right? "Hnhnhn..." Right. "Your foresight still hasn't abandoned you... You're right!" the Egyptian said with a grin, "This trap will only be in effect for one turn... But that's all it needs! So go ahead and shout your attack to the world!" he cackled at the top of his lungs, "The name of the Lava Golem is called 'GOLEM VOLCANO'... SO ATTACK!" Giving him the attack was he? Smug fucking prick...

"I'll do more than tha'," he snarled, throwing his arm forward as a blast of molten rock shot forth from the arm of his monster. "I name my own attacks..." And a good name for this one was...

Was...

...Oh! "JONOUCHI FIRE!" he roared, the lava blasting over the top of the cage.

" _J-Jonouchi fire?!_ " the spirit in his mind muttered incredulously, momentarily pulled out of the mix between worried shouts and complete silence as he blinked. Yeah... He have a problem with that? " _N-No..._ " The ghost seemed to stare out from his mind, before repeating himself. " _No... It's... It's a good name,_ " he coughed, shaking his head. Exactly.

It was perfect. And of course as expected, the attack didn't make it through anyways...

"Activate trap," Malik said flatly, the lava charging toward him and swirling about his form as the tablet ground into a repellant dust against the attack. "Monster Relief. Returning one monster from the field to my hand to special summon another in its place..." And as to that monster...

Katsuya swallowed, biting his lip. There it went...

"Viser Death returns to my hand!" Malik announced, his shadow reeling back to his feet like a high-powered yo-yo as the clamping pain retreated along with it. "And is re-summoned on my side of the field! And now, thanks to your golem's attack," he bragged, the lava honing in on the 'monster' immediately as it rebounded against the metal shield, "I have an indestructible shield!" Gh...

Damn it he growled mentally.

He'd fallen for this trap completely! How could he fall for something so easily just because he wasn't 'warned' about it! The growling continued, only for it to cut short as a flash came to mind. And what was worse...

It was the end of his turn. "H-HHAAAHH!" Crap! "HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!" Lava began to pour into the cage from above, his shadow melting as fires leaped from the ground around him. With nowhere else to go he hurriedly locked his duel disk around the corner of one of the cage rungs, jumping up to position his legs on a higher bar while the lava sat beneath him and boiled away at quickly heating metal. "Hihhhhh..."

The vice was gone, but the Lava Golem was still there. The trap brought him out of the frying pan and right into the fire instead- but along with all that...

The hands returned as well. " _We're BAAAAACK!_ " they cheered amid the screams of the dead, Katsuya grinding his teeth.

The screams were getting louder... " _YOU PROMISED!_ " " _Which one,_ " the hands pondered, " _Which one..._ " " _REDEEM US! SAVE US! AVENGE US!_ " they cried, " _HnhnHAHAHA_!"

"MY TURN!" Malik roared over the screams and cackles, Katsuya barely holding himself up in the cage with his duel disk. "I play one card face down," he announced, the blank tablet appearing at the cloaked Egyptian's side in a swirl of dust, "And then, I play this... The spell 'Machine Duplication'!" Machi-

Crap.

"Summoning three more Viser Deaths... And do you know what I'm going to do with them?" he continued with a sneer, shadow splitting at the center as they shot forward. Each shadow swarmed the head of one of his monsters, another appearing on his own once more to begin the crushing sensation of pain across his skull. He knew what Malik was going to do! "I'm going to lock all three on your monster's heads..!" ...But he didn't have to repeat it! G-Ghhhh-!

Rocket Warrior, Lava Golem, Panther Warrior... His head had already begun to heal over with the absence of the brace but now that it was back the mere thought of all three transferring to his skull was horrific. Worried shouts came from the sides and the cackling continued on, with Katsuya left standing awkwardly in the top of a cage..

"Your turn now Jonouchi," Malik was chuckling, the shadowed grin growing still darker. "Hurry up... I want to hear your screams, I want to watch you bleed... Show me!" the Egyptian cackled madly, "SHOW ME! Show me the pain and screams of fool at his deathbed! HAHAHAHAHA!" Shut up. "HAHAHAHAHA!" Shut up...!

He couldn't tribute summon with the braces there. And the card in his hands wasn't anything like Hurricane either he thought with a grimace, bowing his head as he attempted to keep his balance. But...

And it was a big 'but'...

The blond drew his card, shirt soaked in sweat and sticking to his body as he tried as best he could to hold his grip on the paper with slippery fingers. He made a promise, he reminded himself through labored breathing. A promise to fight Yugi, and a promise to defeat the monster standing before him.

He'd seen bits and pieces of the one who really owned this body. During the rush of data in the computer he'd seen flashes, snippets of memory that wasn't meant for his eyes...

And despite all that happened, and all he'd done, the 'light' Malik could be forgiven. It would take a hell of a long time before he trusted him, but he'd _forgive_ him nonetheless. Besides.

'Malik' hadn't done these things to Mai, to Bakura, and to Ryuzaki.

The other one had. The one standing before him. The one he had to defeat.

The card in his hands was strong, he told himself weakly. A new one as well, one he'd only recently managed to save up for and purchase in the recent weeks. He'd forgotten about it...

It was a powerful card, but because he'd received it only recently there'd been no record of it being his most powerful card. It was stronger than even his red eyes but...

" _Yo_ ," he heard, the blond's eyes dimly looking at the card as the image of the monster smirking in the back of his mind came to his thoughts. " _Nice to meet you._ " This monster...

"...Gilford th' Lightnin'..."

In his minds eye he could see the monster nod with that continued smirk, and adding the card to his hand a strategy formed. The Viser Death's 'metal replicator' only worked on weak monsters, monsters with 500 or less attack power. While on his side of the field he continued mentally with narrowed eyes, he could use his spells to affect them. After that, after freeing his monsters he told himself, he would have three tributes. And with three tributes, Gilford would...

"Hehehehehe..." Malik appeared to freeze somewhat as he began to chuckle, the blond across from him still balancing oddly in a metal cage. "Act'vate spell card 'Angel Dice'," he announced, the tablet appearing tall at his side as the imp flew forth. Snow white wings carried the small being into the air, and as the die fell Katsuya grinned. "Yer monster's... How much power will they take b'fore d'stroyin' th'mselves? Five hundred? Two thousan'? The dice rolls SIX!" he shouted with a grin, hopping down from the cage walls as the shadows and lava already began to melt with the move he was preparing. "Yer Viser Death's 'r d'stroyed!" the blond continued, all three of the head-shaped vices melting into a corroded ash on the ground around them. "An' now," he went on with a dark smirk, "Since I have three monsters on my field, how 'bout I show y' somethin' good... I'm comin for y' Malik- I told y' b'fore I'd send y' t' hell an' I'm keepin my word!" the blond snarled, thunder cracking above them as the trio of monsters in his shadow fused and merged behind him. "I sacr'fice all three 'f my monsters t' summon my most powerful monster!" he announced, the shadow behind him stretching into darkened and armored skin under deep red robes and silver armor. A massive claymore sword sat on his back...

And with the monster's summoning he narrowed his eyes even further. Gilford's power was running through him now, still working at healing his bleeding head... And right now he was going to use that power to win.

"This is th' end Malik... Meet th' Legendary Warrior who controls th' storm," Katsuya announced, "Th' monster wieldin' th' blade 'Odinson'... Have a taste of 's power!" he roared, holding his hands out as the monster pulled out his sword in a similar gesture, "THUND'RING LIGHTNIN'!" The bolt of lightning flew from the tip of the blade as the attack was called, striking Malik's apparently invincible shield and blowing it into pieces as its summoner screamed.

"GH- WHAT!" Metal scattered across the field and Malik snarled with rage, sparks bouncing off his own body as his fingers twitched in the aftermath of the shock. "Im... Impossible!" he growled, shaking his head in shock. "Viser Death is invincible..! This can't be!"

"Then think again!" Katsuya shouted with a grin, wiping a bit of sweat-soaked hair from his eyes and still lightly bleeding head. "When summoned w' three sacrifices, Gilford d'stroys all monsters on th' field... R'gardless of effect! An' wi' that outta th' way!" he continued, pointing his hand forward as the bleeding wounds from the Viser Death reached an almost completely healed state, "I attack! LIGHTNIN' CRASH SWOR-"

_Wait_ -!

As the smoke from the Viser Death's destruction cleared he froze, his shadow's blade already plunging forward in a stabbing action. A flash came to mind and the stone before him began to crumble. The tablet, he thought to himself in horror as the dust shifted to re-form the 'wall' before him. The tablet, the tablet, the-

"Shit!" he shouted, arms still held somewhat forward as he stared. "Trap..!" Trap!

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Damn it! "You deserve a round of applause for lasting this long ' _alrrayiy_ '," Malik chuckled, the blade crashing through stone as it slowly tumbled away from the tablet's form. He couldn't see the image on the stone... But it was flaking away, piece by piece and the blade was digging deeper without any sign of stopping... "It's been fun... But play time is over!" his opponent roared, "Because this trap card is-"

The nightmare mirror! Shouts dimmed before Malik's words even finished, and before Katsuya could even take in the detail of the object uncovered by the tablet. As he stumbled back with a choke all he could see was Malik's mouth moving, and the enormous mirror that had appeared before him. The mirror his shadow had run into blade first, with one half on one side and the other seemingly vanished. Well...

Mostly. "GH-H... Hhh _aa-AAHH_..."

It was hard to ignore the fact that it had wound up embedded in the side of his chest, pushing him back with all the force behind it.

"Ghahh... Hahh... D... Don' move," he rasped, cards falling from his hands as he hurriedly grabbed the blade in his chest to continue choking. Just his lung and organs pieced, his heart was fine thank god, but if the blade moved even slightly then the sutured burn from the electricity that was now sealing the wound would mean nothing and- "Don' move," he repeated, voice weak with the useless position his lung was in as he choked on his own words. "Don' move th' blade!"

This time the crowd had fallen deathly silent in response to what was happening on the field, those on the sides unable to even scream. ' _What's he holding?'_ They couldn't see the blade in his hands. ' _What's he doing?_ ' The only blood on the sword had already fallen, there was nothing else so long as the sword didn't move- they couldn't see him cutting his palms trying to clutch his wound out of reflex. But even amid the pain and shock of injury, he could still hear. ' _What's happening to him..!_ '

"Haagh... Gha _aagh_..."

He was scaring them he realized coldly, choking on his breaths as he attempted to continue to stand. Scaring them all...

He wanted this over as quick as possible, and he knew he had the power to do so, he would in next turn, that was certain even without a vision but...

Even with this...

That bastard continued to laugh. "Hnhnhnhnhn..." He could barely breathe... And he laughed. "How does it feel?" Malik shouted with a grin, responded to with a murderous glare. "To be impaled upon by your own sword?" Shut up, he wanted to shout, finding nothing but blood clogging his throat. Shut up... Shut up! "Now you've lost 1000 lifepoints," Malik was continuing with a cackle. "And of course... The price to pay for this mirror trick is discarding one card..." One card?

An image came to mind. The image of a single move, and of Bakura's shouting form as the flames of the sun eradicated him into nothing but dust in the wind, the ring clattering to the ground. As Ra became coated in flames, risen without a single sacrifice and...

...Shit.

" _RA_!" he spat, hands bleeding as they clutched the blade. "An' how's tha' gonna help you?" The monster would have no attack power... It could get rid of his monster but he'd still have a chance to win so long as he drew another monster on his turn- Malik's attack would be for nothing!

But Katsuya's questioning growls seemed to only further excite his opponent. It was almost strange actually. He'd spent this long keeping his mouth shut on anything to do with the duels, and with what he saw, and yet from the start of this match he'd tossed everything to the wind...

_'Because it won't matter after this match_ ,' he found himself thinking, breathing still ragged and weak as he held his determined gaze across the field. Because all along he'd known the end result hadn't he? He'd known...

That in the end...

"I have to say," Malik chuckled, his opponent's turn ending as the blond slouched somewhat on the sword still jutting through his side, "I underestimated you, Jonouchi. I should have realized I wasn't going to be able to end this without bringing forth GOD!" He really should have, hadn't he? "To think... You knew this too!" he laughed, shaking his head almost in incredulity as his opponent kept silent. "This ability of yours... It's been a pleasure to toy with it!" the Egyptian laughed, "But it all ends now! BEHOLD GOD!" Malik cackled, his opponent weakly bringing a free hand up to his head and biting his lip as a raging headache began to strike with the words. "I use the spell Monster Reborn to revive him." he continued. "Now _COWER_ from the God of the SUN, THE FORM OF RA, AND-"

And nothing else mattered any more as Malik taunted him from across the field, the Egyptian's voice fading into a mere echo at the back of his mind. His thoughts went completely blank and his breathing calmed despite the crippling pain through his side. The ankh's light had filled the arena for only a moment before 'God' was summoned as Malik had said.

But 'God' was not one to be copied with a mere 'shadow'.

With dull eyes he looked up toward the enormous and majestic being of gold that hovered behind the tower's edge, the nearly blinding monster before him 'standing' on its hind legs and spreading his wings to completely block out Malik's 'half' of the sky. All he could see was the top half of this being, see the wings, fore-arms, and head. The rest was resting on the ground of the isle itself, scarcely able to fit within the boundaries of the island.

This was 'Ra'. This...

As flames began to lick the monster's sides, seemingly taking the metal with it, Malik was not the only one speaking. "Great God of all he travels," Katsuya began under his breath, "Who creates all he sees, whose eye is the warrior Sehkmet, whose knowledge is unsurpassed," he whispered among Malik's shouts, the oddly familiar chant passing through his lips with blank eyes and monotone words.

"Who sails on the evening barge of a million years, who is accompanied by Command, Perception, and Magic," they 'chorused', "Whose Father is Nun, who passes life and death each day... Who battles with the dark serpent along side the God of Storms," the blond went on, the closest to his sides slowly turning with wide and terrified eyes as his words mirrored Malik's own, those same words rising in volume.

"I ask that you arise to my side," they both continued, "That you illuminate my path with your _LIGHT_..." And suddenly without warning the chant changed as Malik continued to shout and as Katsuya's words rose to a standard speaking level rather than the whisper it was, neither one slipping in their pace. "I ask that you guide me in the form of the great bennu bird!" they continued, "That you accept this tribute of my very soul and eradicate all those before me! That you cleanse the souls of those who oppose me, and shield me from all harm in these moments... I ask!" Malik finished, just a millisecond faster than his opponent as he looked to the blond teen in mixed curiosity and fear,

" **AND YOU ARE ANSWERED!** "

Flames roared and rose above the tower, illuminating the shadows around them and creating a 'sun' above them in the sky as the metal griffin that had been Ra melted into the air with the fluidity of the wind itself. Ra had risen his mind told him dimly, senses returning as he gripped the blade in his side and looked upward. Ra in the form of the burning phoenix, having abandoned the metal golden shell he'd worn. Ra, the Sun...

And amidst it all it seemed the power was enough for his opponent to forget that he had only barely retained control of the God he so favoured. "You should be honoured!" Malik shouted amid the crackling flames, laughing madly as the phoenix burned above and behind him. "To set your eyes on God's form... His TRUE form!” the Egyptian added, cackling despite the blank stare he received from his opponent. "HnhnhahahaHAHAHA... THIS IS THE END!" he laughed, arms held out as h gestured to where he likely perceived Ra's form to be. "THE END!"

He wasn't listening.

Malik had turned to taunt those in the crowd for the moment shortly after those taunts, and as he did so Kastuya looked up from his already weakened form to grit his teeth. Ra was looking down on him, the flames licking the sides of the arena as he stared. But he'd said nothing so far. He knew that it was really him...

But he had still said nothing.

"Gh... Hgh... Ra..." the blond spat, biting on his lip as he fought to continue speaking. "...You gonna kill me then?" he whispered, voice held low in fatigue. "Gonna take tha' sacrifice?" That sacrifice of 1000 life points... "An' burn me outta existence?" Like the monster on the field?

Ra merely beat his wings a moment, the fires slamming against the sides of the steel tower as his toothy beak opened wide to chuckle. For a moment, Katsuya had to stare at the bird in confusion because of that. And then as he spoke his gaze reverted to a slightly agitated expression, eyes narrowing as Ra spoke. " **You have done WELL to travel this FAR, young ANCIENT... VERY well...** " To do...

...What?

"...You..." The blond choked, shuffling forward somewhat and again choking over his words. "Khg... ...You thought I wouldn' make it?!" he asked somewhat loudly, Malik turning with narrowed eyes in the middle of his conversation as he studied his opponent incredulously.

"You... What did you just say?"

The enormous God above him held the same stern expression he'd appeared with long before, lowering his head toward the boy to give his response. " **You have been through MANY trials, ANCIENT. Some DESTINED... Others chosen by CHANCE!** " the God told him, fires creating a constantly shifting form outside the monster's face and piercing glare. " **But regardless of the DIFFICULTY,** " Ra praised, " **You have SUCCEEDED... You surpassed my FIRST test,** " he continued, seeming to bare his flaming fangs with narrowed eyes. " **So TELL ME... BOY who knows our NAMES... Do you FEAR this POWER that now stands BEFORE YOU?** "

The answer was swift, short, and to those around more than likely confusing. They could see Ra, that was true. See the enormous beast illuminate the air, but they couldn't see it in its full power nor could they hear its words. Well...

Most of them couldn't at least. The expressions on both Seto and the 'other Yugi's face told him otherwise after all, and as Malik himself looked across the field with wide eyes it seemed that he'd realized just what his opponent was doing. But his answer...

"No."

" **Not even in the SLIGHTEST?** " the God questioned, seeming to growl as his opponent slowly forced himself to stand straighter than he had been, even as the blade threw his balance off completely and caused him to stumble. And again...

"...No," he repeated, gritting his teeth, looking up with wide eyes. "I need to win this fight."

"You... Impossible... _ORACLE_!"

They still couldn't see. Or hear. Malik was confused, staring in a mix of rage, fear, and hate... Disbelief as well, the teen clearly forcing the idea that his opponent could possibly see 'God's full form out of his mind.

And like that, the other feelings were quickly replaced with a maddening confidence as he began to laugh. It went without saying after all- this was a shadow game. Whatever Ra dealt out he would feel in full and even if he didn't he'd have felt it anyways. So...

"You... I'm tired of you!" Malik snarled, eyes wide with insanity. "Of your 'ability', and of your persistence... I'll let God's Judgment burn you to the ground... Turning your mind to ash and destroying every bit of your soul! WATCH, JONOUCHI!" he laughed, eyes wide as the fires increased in intensity. "WATCH, AS THE GREAT GOD RA RISES FOR YOU, AND PULLS YOU INTO AN ENDLE DARKNESS..! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!"

As the cackling continued to fill the air he could on dimly hear the cries of the others. Of Mokuba. Of Yugi...

Of Otogi, Anzu, Honda..

Of _her_...

"No..."

"NO! JONOUCHI-KUN!"

"JONOUCHI!"

"YOU CAN'T LOSE, YOU CAN'T!"

"This light," he could hear her whisper, "It can't..." How could something so magnificent...

Bring...

_Death_.

" **You claim to hold no FEAR of my FLAMES!** " Katsuya heard his executor announce, the blond forcing himself to breathe as he stared upward. " **And** **it is not with BRAVADO you stand before me with... I SEE before me TRUE COURAGE!** " Ra applauded as he rose further into the air, " **A TRAIT which is often LOST to TIME... KNOW THIS,** " he boomed, converging into a single point in the air and launching forward as a single flaming 'bolt' from the heavens. " **It is not the FIRES you must surpass... It is the CHALLENGE you face AFTER- FOR HERE IS YOUR TEST,** " God roared. " **HERE is your TRUE challenge... BOY WHO KNOWS OUR NAMES,** " he announced, mouth wide as he came closer to the boy below, " **THIS IS BUT A TASTE OF OUR POWER!** "

And all at once the flames struck down, and everything else around didn't matter.

"GHHHGHH _HRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH_!" Fire. His shadow was melting and he heard nothing but laughter, the smoke and flames entering his lungs and searing at his insides without leaving a mark. The scream was mirrored by his slowly melting monster and amidst it all there was laughter, screams, screams from ghosts, screams from the crowd...

From himself.

"RHAAAA _AAAAAAAHHHHH! HHHGAAAAAAAAAA_!" His shadow had long since been melted away by this point and at the sides he could hear the cries of his friends growing faint from behind the curtain of flames. The face of Ra looked at him from all sides, staring, almost taunting him it felt, and the sword in his chest crumbled to his shadow as the fires continued to burn. Nothing but fire...

Fire... Fire...

But it wasn't burning his skin or clothes, not physically at least. It was just burning _him_. Bringing pain, pain, and nothing but more pain, while slowly re-opening the wound that he'd received from his own monster as he screamed. But no matter what...

He could... Not... Fail!

"That's enough," a cold chuckling voice chuckled as the sword in his side vanished completely, not a single trace of the 'shadow game' remaining at his side of the field outside his injuries. "Return..."

The flames tore upward, and flew away in an instant, leaving nothing but smoke on the side of the field where he stood. The entity of his surroundings were blocked from view, and the field was silent in anticipation, waiting, waiting to see if he'd died, if he'd lived...

But even with this, he stood.

On both feet, both melted and torn shoes he stood, hands abruptly clutching his side as he choked and grasped at a now opened wound through his chest. "Gllll... Kllkkk... Hh _ah... Ahhh_..." His lung was collapsing he realized dimly, the organ finding itself unable to properly hold air all too quickly. And he was bleeding...

It took four minutes for the blood to drain to the point of unconsciousness if the carotid artery was cut, he remembered that from some show he'd caught while flipping channels. So...

Now that this sword was gone from his side... How long did he have with this? The smoke began to clear and in the aftermath Malik stumbled backward in shock and terror both, eyes wide as he took in the shape of the shadow before him. "No," he whispered, sudden relieved shouts coming from the side as the smoke continued to clear. "No, no, no! IMPOSSIBLE!" he snarled, "IMPOSSIBLE, this!"

"Is that... All you have?" he wheezed, taking a trembling step forward as a round of cheers came from the side. Ra was gone, evaporated... And his next card...

The one in his hand... "My 'own sword'... Did... Better th'n tha'," he taunted, before biting his tongue to hold back a wash of blood from his bleeding lung. "GL- Lkhhh... Ahhh... Hahhh... It's... It's my turn," he pressed on, taking another step forward as Malik stiffened and paled. "D... Draw," he rasped, pulling a card and setting it on the disk, holding his steady and murderous. "Summon... Gearfried," he continued, taking still another step as he held his still bleeding wound with his free hand, the blood spilling from between his fingers. "And I... _ATTACK_!"

His shadow stretched forward...

His hand pointed forward to move with the blade as he took one third and final step, and as he fell the last thing he saw was Gearfried's blade coming just millimetres from Malik's terrified face, a drop of blood forming across the Egyptian's brow. And he heard, as he landed on the ground...

A scream...

" _JONOUCHI!_ "

Bleeding.

Bleeding, he was bleeding he realized dimly, the shadows vanishing from the sky as his eyes stared off to the side while he breathed raggedly. How much time was passing he asked himself. It seemed almost slow... And for a moment, he could see...

A vision...

' _You won that match,_ ' Yugi told him sternly, his usual smile on his face while the blond continued to stare off, eyes moving rapidly and in no particular pattern as he choked. ' _So... How about we fulfill that promise we made..?_ '

The 'him' of the vision nodded, a grin on his face. ' _RIGHT! Let's duel..!_ ' Duel...

D...

Heh...

_I win, Malik_.

He still couldn't hear properly.

" _JONOUCHI_!" Honda was shouting, the blond's eyes staring off into space as he was rolled over onto his back, looking at nothing. The voice sounded faint. Garbled, as though underwater... His friends were nothing but blurred bits of colour against the sky, and his white shirt was stained red. Blood was coming through his mouth, bubbling at the corners and out of his side as he attempted to breathe...

"Glk... Kh...Gkh... Kg..."

"Oh my god..." Honda raised his hands upward for just a moment as he looked over the blood that was staining them, fingers and palms twitching violently as he attempted to comprehend what he was looking at. "Oh my... BLOOD!" the teen screamed, frantically pressing on the wound, "BLOOD! HE'S BLEEDING," he screamed in panic, "Get the doctor!"

"Glk... Lkh... Kh..."

" _Get Kuzushi here STAT!_ ” he thought he heard Seto shout, " _Jonouchi!_ " the others were crying, " _JONOUCHI!_ "

And far at the side Malik was holding a hand to his mouth, bile dripping through his fingers as he heaved in shock and horror both. "Hahh... To think... To think I almost lost to..." To..?

Honda was still screaming.

"JONOUCHI!" Loud, but it still sounded strained and distant and he couldn't hear a thing. "DON'T YOU DARE DIE!" he roared, having pulled off his jacket to push on the wound and hold the bleeding back. "Don't you DARE FUCKING DIE!" Still shouting...

"Jonouchi..!" "JONOUCHI-KUN!" " _MEREA_!" Stop screaming... Stop screaming...

"Gkl... I... Saw..."

"Don't die damn it," Honda cried, Yugi's spirit curled up on the side in tears as his other stared in shock at the edge of the arena. "DON'T DIE!" He wasn't... He wasn't going to...

He wouldn't...

"STAND ASIDE, NOW!" an authoritative voice snarled, the shadows above shifting around. White... White coats... So...

Doctors?

His vision was fading. Shadows were becoming more blurred, and he was still choking on his breath, staring up at nothingness. Honda was gone but he was still screaming. Everyone was screaming. But he didn't know what they were saying, and he...

He... He was so tired...

If he just...

Closed his eyes...

" _JONOUCHI-KUN!_ "

* * *

"Jonouchi-kun... Hey, Jonouchi-kun!" he could hear Yugi calling, a blinding light meeting his eyes as he blearily attempted to see. Owww...

The blond brought a hand to his head, grimacing. "Nnggghh... M' head..." Hurt...

Like hell... A chorus of small giggles floated through the air. Another few shouts, dotted around aimlessly.

"Jonouchi-kun," Yugi repeated, somewhat louder this time as his friend opened his eyes. "Jonouchi-kun, class is about to start!" Hnnnggg...

He'd sleep through it then, he hated most of his first period classes any... Ways...

Uh... Wait.

Wait what... Class?

The blond's head jerked upward as he forced himself to wake up, neck cracking almost painfully as the blond winced. He sat up straighter, blinking almost blearily as he looked around the room. The classroom. Just the classroom but...

"Gh... Ahhh _hhgggg_ , my head..." The blond rubbed it over with a hiss, those around his desk looking to him with somewhat wry smirks as they sighed.

"Hahhhh... It's what you get for deciding to face plant into your desk," Anzu said somewhat dryly, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "Really... How tired are you anyways?" she asked almost worriedly, receiving nothing more than a groan in response.

"Nggh... Don' talk," he muttered, "Headache..." The group traded knowing smirks, chuckling somewhat under their breath.

"Heh... Guess that answers the question," Honda muttered, shaking his head. "So... Yugi," he continued, "You see that poster for the tournament?" he began, quickly hooking the boy in another conversation as Bakura also joined in with the two. Hnn... Tournament? What tournament?

While the trio began speaking about this Katsuya shook his head, rubbing it with another wince as he attempted to regather his thoughts. Alright, hang on. What was going on here, he asked himself with a frown. The last thing he remembered he was facing Malik in a duel. He'd attacked with Gearfried he'd-

Hell, he'd _won_! (Last he checked any ways...) But was that... Well. That couldn't be a dream right he thought, staring at the desk with a frown. Hell, this was...

Suddenly, the conversation at the side was coming to mind, and he realized what they were saying. "Oh that's right," Bakura was saying, "That tournament... It starts after Marine Day doesn't it?"

"Yep. One week," Yugi said with a smile, bowing his head somewhat. A... A week? But that was... Katsuya shook his head again, biting his lip in confusion as he narrowed his eyes.

Impossible. Impossible, he was just on the ship moments before, the tournament hadn't been mentioned until about three days before, and it couldn't be possible unless...

Unless...

He frowned, crossing his arms. The Virtual World, the ghost in his mind, the shadow games, Malik, Malik, _MALIK_... Everything that happened, in all its impossibility...

"Dream," he muttered, shaking his head with a grimace. "W's all... Jus' a dream..."

That had to be it, his mind told him. It had to. It...

Hell it was the only thing that made sense... "It sounds like it would be fun," Yugi was saying in regards to the tournament. "I'll have to look over my deck," the boy added as Bakura nodded in agreement. "Oh-" Yugi paused, smiling. "Hey, Jonouchi-kun?" he continued, looking to his friend with a grin. "The city-wide duel monsters tournament... Are you planning on entering?" Eh? Well... Of course he was, he'd mentioned it earlier that year hadn't he!

...Right..?

Nonetheless the blond nodded with confidence, a grin on his face. "Heh... 'F course," he said with a grin, giving his friend a thumb's up. "Wouldn' miss it f'r th' world!"

"I don't know," Anzu muttered with a dry look on her face, "When it takes one turn for me to defeat you..." Ah- She was still going on about that!

"O-OIII!"

"Hnn... Class starts in two minutes," Otogi muttered, speaking for the first time since the blond woke up and pulling all attention to him as a result. "Does anyone find this odd?" Hn?

Find what odd? Evidently, _they_ found 'this' odd though... Whatever 'this' was.

"That's right," Anzu was muttering, "She'd normally be here by now..." She? But besides Seto, who didn't even go to school these days, who the hell would they be waiting for that was a 'she'?

"Er... No 'ffense guys, but... Who're you talkin' abou'?" Katsuya laughed, the others turning to stare with wide eyes. Crap.

That wasn't what he expected. "Wow... Jonouchi, how hard did you hit your head," Honda asked 'worriedly', "I mean... There's no way you forgot her..!" Well... Yes, yes there was.

And who was 'her'! Stop not using names! "Jonouchi-kun," Yugi asked, "Do you maybe need to see the nurse..?" NO. He-

AUGH, stop this! "Sheesh... Forgetting Kouryuu-chan," Anzu muttered, shaking her head with a frown. "How could you..." Katsuya sputtered at that, shaking his head. N-Now way...

That name was... "...K... _Kouryuu._.?" The next few moments told him quite clearly what was a dream and what was reality and even if they hadn't, he'd have found out rather quickly following that.

Because as a tall young woman with blue eyes and brown hair walked into the room, there was one glaring fact that assured him what he saw now wasn't real. The name was one thing after all.

But Seto Kaiba would never have allowed herself to be caught in the girl's school uniform, apologizing to the class for her lateness using 'watashi'.


	4. Flatline

Though there was plenty of chaos through the duel above them by far the worst moment came when they could again move. As though a blanket had been removed from each of them, and the only thing on their minds was ' _why the hell didn't we do something earlier?!_ ', with each of them running forward in a minor stampede while the blond on the stage collapsed in a bleeding heap.

She didn't get on the arena though.

She didn't need to stand on the arena to know things had gone horrifically wrong and that she should have tried a hell of a lot more to keep this single match from happening rather than letting that tiny, naïve scrap in the back of her mind let her believe it could turn out right.

"Get Kuzushi and a stretcher here STAT!" she snarled into the radio on her collar, screams and cries filling the air.

(' _It's not REAL_!' she thought she heard Yugi scream but he wasn't moving, simply staring numbly as the blood stained the field, and as it coated Honda's hands and as everyone screeched and cried in fear and-).

"We have severe bleeding in addition to a series of unknown injuries," she continued into the radio, "Prepare for the worst."

There was no response as the radio clicked off but that was to be expected in such a fatal situation. Kuzushi had thankfully been waiting in an 'on call' state- it wouldn't take her long to get up here. It'd have taken far too long to get there if she hadn't been after all, and so rather than run from the airship she simply came from the bottom of the tower itself.

But in the meantime her brother was crying, standing with the others that he called friends. Screaming as Katsuya gave dying chokes trying to say something, anything, anything…

And that Egyptian bastard on the arena had the gall to laugh when he would have lost, hands held out as he watched the chaos.

"Hnhnhnhn... HAHAH _AHAHAHA_! Another SACRIFICE to the shadows beyond... So," he continued, those paying attention to the teen gritting their teeth, "WHO'S NEXT!" Malik cackled, the arena lowering for ease of access despite there being people atop the field.

The blond stepped off the side, receiving no answer other than tear filled cries from beside Katsuya's bleeding body and a cold stare from Seto. It was a look that by far wasn't missed- for as he passed the woman Malik turned, crazed grin still in place.

Waiting for a bit of conversation.

She couldn't help but answer that challenge. "…Malik," she spat, eyes narrowing further as the Egyptian stood before her. "Know that while you've 'won' the match, you lost this battle... And more importantly," the woman continued, Malik dropping the grin as Seto pulled out a card from her pocket, "He forced you to reveal God's final weakness to me..."

And though it could hardly be a weakness it was just enough for her.

"I've seen all I needed," Seto hissed, Kuzushi and a pair of the staff's guards running up from the stairs to clear the crowd to their victim, "The key to defeating your supposedly perfect God lies in this card... Your days are numbered," she warned, slipping the card back in her pocket. "Remember that..."

For a moment a flash of worry could be seen in Malik's eyes. A calculating stare that seemed to question whether or not it was a bluff. In the end however he disappeared down the stairs, giving Seto one final narrowed glare before vanishing.

"Hn... Good luck with that," he hissed, shouts continuing behind him. "Your 'dog' will be long dead before then though," the blond chuckled. Katsuya…

As Malik vanished from sight the woman turned, stiff as she watched the already unconscious blond become strapped to the board on the gurney. The stretcher was being moved. Raised back up, rolled down…

"Quickly, quickly!" Kuzushi shouted, the stretcher now carried away by her two assistants. "We need to get him to the airship as quick as possible!" she continued with thinly veiled panic, "Go, GO!" Honda followed. As did Anzu, Otogi, her brother…

"Please don't die!” Mokuba was crying as they ran, Yugi following with a numb and cold expression as they vanished down the stairs. "Please don't die, don't die!"

Screaming, crying, screaming, crying...

For a few moments she was frozen behind the crowd, teeth grinding down in the resulting silence of the arena. From where she stood she could see the blood on the field. She didn't stare long before following after the others however, the cold wind blowing behind her in almost a vacuum upon re-entering the tower. In so much chaos there was nothing much to say on the situation.

Nothing at all.

And then she got into the airship itself, where the chaos had somehow multiplied even further in the hallway outside where they'd taken Katsuya.

"YOU..."

Shizuka turned from where they'd been forced to stay outside the room, her eyes filled with misery, pain... She was the first person to spot the approaching woman, and as a result of a silent agreement the first who would confront their host.

… And she herself would let them. "How could you let this HAPPEN!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face as she pointed to the door. "I told you," Shizuka whispered, choking on her words as she shook. "I told you to STOP this!" the girl shouted, “And you said it was the only way to keep everyone alive..." Yes…

That was what she'd said but-

"HOW IS THIS ALIVE!" she roared, pulling against the ones holding her back as she wept. "How is ANY of this 'ALIVE'! HOW-"

Her cries were interrupted by Kyouko throwing the door to the staff room they had Jonouchi in with wide and panic filled eyes. "Do any of you have type B negative blood?" she quickly called out, the hall falling silent as they stared. Type...

B..?

Seto stared, the others as well freezing in response. She was A... Yugi was AB, and the others were-

"I... I do," Otogi said fairly quickly, growing pale despite this. "What-"

"Get in here," the woman hurriedly ordered, pulling the teen in through the door by his arm instantly. "He's lost too much blood, we need an emergency transfusion!"

"What-? Isn't that ille-"

The door slammed without another word.

All rage was replaced with a haunting despair again, and as Shizuka crumpled on herself she was barely supported by the women at her side, Ishizu and Anzu both looking to her worriedly as Seto stared.

"Hnnnnnnggg... Nnngggg... This... This can't be happening," she cried softly, fingers digging into her arms as she curled up against the wall. "Mai-han, Keichi, and now nihan! Why... WHY ..." Why was this happening?

_She was asking herself the same thing!_

He should have won.

Beyond everything, that idiot... Right at the end she'd _thought_ he had won somehow! He'd proven himself against all her doubts at the last second...

And then, not even one second later-

Seto's eyes fell to the ground as the woman continued to watch from the side, and as they waited for what was occurring inside the room to finish a voice came over the 'PA' system.

_-_ _Attention: There is now twenty minutes before the next match of the semi-final rounds,_ _-_ the announcement began, those before her turning up to the speaker as she held her gaze on the door to the staff room. _-_ _Competitors Mutou Yugi and Kaiba Seto will be expected to_ _-_

She didn't hear what happened after that. Not over the shouts around her. "Twenty… Twenty minutes?" Shizuka was repeating incredulously, pulling out of Ishizu's grip as she walked toward the woman before her. "Twenty... I don't believe you!" she wept, a twisted mix of horror and rage both coming through her face as she stared at the seemingly stone CEO, Seto merely staring back in silence and letting the shouts continue. "How can you be so selfish!?" she screamed, almost pulling at her hair in aggitation. "How can you just _stand here_ , while my brother is dying, and possibly expect to keep fighting!?"

Seto still remained silent, and Shizuka continued on.

"How… Can you even _think_ of this!" the girl roared, "When your own brother is standing RIGHT HERE!"

At those words Mokuba flinched, looking toward his sister with a confused but nonetheless sympathetic stare as he pulled at Shizuka's arm. "Shizuka-chan," he said quietly, Seto still not moving from where she stood. The girl didn't respond and again Mokuba pulled back, biting his lip. "Shizuka-chan, let's just..."

She was shaking, Seto noted almost dully. Shaking and about to collapse, and as she began to do just that, Honda caught her from behind. Pulling her back toward the others and fixing Seto with a narrowed glare that was answered with continued silence.

Yugi was also silent, staring at the floor with wide and dead eyes. As was Ishizu, and Anzu, though the latter was holding her arms close and seeming to mutter under her breath, eyes flashing between colours under the light as the chaos toned down.

"It's not fair," Shizuka wept quietly, burying her face in her hands. "It's not fair! Why is this happening?" she repeated constantly under her breath, "Why..."

Otogi was released from the room at that moment, a small bandage around his elbow from where they'd taken the blood. In an instant he was swarmed by the friends of the blond, Mokuba included as his sister stared from the side, watching and listening to the crowd's panic.

"Otogi, how... How is he?" Honda shouted quickly, looking to the room, "What's going on in there!"

"Can they save him?" Shizuka pressed, "Will he be-"

"Will he be alright?" Mokuba hurriedly added. "Can we-"

"He's not breathing," the game inventor said hoarsely, gripping his bandaged arm. The crowd hushed at those words, and as Otogi stared at the ground he continued. "The ECG flat-lined completely, there's no heart rate. They... They have a machine giving him CPR compressions," he whispered weakly, holding his head in one hand as a look of horrified humor came through his eyes, the incredulity of it all striking them cold. "They… They said that his brain activity is the same as a fully conscious person, but his heart just won't beat, and it..." He took a somewhat shuddering breath, looking to the side before turning to Seto. "They want you in there," he continued. "Something about diagnostics," the teen muttered, "I..." Of course…

This was her responsibility after all, so- "Wait..." Wait? "What about us?" Anzu asked, frowning somewhat as she reached forward. Briefly Seto found herself staring with narrowed eyes, shaking her head slightly as she stared. Her eyes...

What was with the colour, they almost seemed...

"Can we go in at all?" Anzu pressed, rubbing her arm in worry.

Otogi shook his head, his own arms crossed lest he agitate the bandage on his elbow in the anxious rubbing. "We can't," the teen began, "They said they're still trying to stabilize him," he explained with a short swallow. "They haven't... They haven't gotten him to breathe or…" Not haven't…

They couldn't.

He was clinically dead with nothing but a machine keeping him alive and-

She moved past, the crowd splitting somewhat as she forced her way toward the door. "Ah... Ne... Nii-sama," Mokuba corrected as he remembered Ishizu's presence, his sister not appearing to notice the slip as the Egyptian at the side turned to frown. "Nii-sama," Mokuba continued, "When we're allowed to come in, you'll tell us right?" he asked, his sister pausing as she reached for the door handle. "You'll..."

Tell them...

If what she heard was any sign she herself shouldn't have even been allowed inside yet. If what she'd heard was even close to the truth then...

Seto looked down at the boy, her expression still the same ice-coated and half-dead stare she'd held for the last number of minutes. "...Yes," she said plainly, before moving inside to shut the door.

She would.

Of course she would, they had a right to know after all.

Walking forward into the room as she pushed the door open however, a cold and unstoppable shudder ran through her body.

And the sight of Katsuya's body still supported on the folding gurney caused her blood to freeze in its veins. It was as Otogi had said, and then some. There was a large 'AutoPulse' machine hooked up against the blond's chest sending steady compressions between synthesized breaths from an attachment system, a machine impossible to ignore. Just as noticeable however, if not more so, was the mess of the body itself. True the wounds had been bandaged as best as possible, and as quickly as possible to lessen the need for blood, but that didn't mean the areas around it had their damage to show. Even after being cleaned up there was still signs of the battle from the field, small scratches that were slowly fading, clumped blond hair stained 'brown' with blood, thick bandages that had to be wrapped 'just so' lest wounds be re-opened by a pounding machine...

And his eyes were shut as though he were merely asleep. Merely asleep, in a peaceful place that had nothing to do with the chaos and-

"Seto-san," Kuzushi said softly, placing a hand on her usual patient's arm.

The woman held out a clipboard as her employer turned, before taking down the mask she'd had around her face. The garbage can was filled with rubber gloves and stained cloth from when they were trying to stop the bleeding to cover the wound. The lights were unbearably blinding despite the comparable darkness of the hall and-

"I've made a record of the damage," the doctor told her, Seto blinking somewhat slowly as she cleared her mind to pay more attention. "From what we can tell the wound looks far worse than it actually is; in fact," she added confidently, a small fragment of relief evident in the tone, "It should likely heal within a number of weeks. The problem however is his heart rate," the doctor continued seriously. "This machine will continue to create it for him, but until he shows sign of regaining consciousness he's as good as 'dead'- I know you don't want to hear that," she added quickly and sternly, catching a sudden tension from the woman beside her, "But I am only giving you the facts; I will do everything I can to bring him back. But I cannot tell how long it will take, if and when," Kuzushi warned, "For him to wake up. You need to keep that in mind, no matter what you may-"

"I understand," she said flatly, taking the clipboard and looking it over with dull eyes as she cut the doctor off. "The shock from Ra's attack would have been incredible... I'm not surprised it threw his heart into arrest," she continued, despite her mind telling her the attack itself had little to do with it compared to the severe and inexplicable blood-loss.

But she'd still hoped that he would survive, she told herself as she flipped the paper over to skim the hurriedly scribbled notes. She'd hoped that it hadn't killed him despite that, and why had she...

Seto placed the clipboard on the table at the side at that thought, looking back to the 'duel victim' with the same 'dead' expression on her face as her doctor stared. Katsuya...

He...

' _I'll make sure I reveal as much about Malik's cards as possible_ ,' he'd told her. ' _I'll make sure tha' no one else can suffer from th's guy. I'll...'_

"...I'll be right back," Kuzushi said quietly, receiving little more than a short nod from her employer in response. "There are a few materials that I need to retrieve from my office," she continued, already leaving for the door. Hn! As if that was true. As if...

Really. She wasn't the type to be sentimental enough to leave time for her alone with a hospital victim so don't...

Don't...

The door closed behind her at that moment, and for a few seconds more Seto merely stared at the bed in silence. The helicopter would arrive in just under three hours. The next duel was due to start in fifteen minutes. There would be ten minutes between the two matches and it was expected that each duel would take between thirty and forty-five minutes.

And once again everything had collapsed right beneath her feet, the rubble of her tournament crumbling into an ash worthy of a funeral pyre's remains. "You fool," she finally hissed under her breath, nails digging into her palms as she leered at the body before her. "You pathetic, barking DOG!" Pathetic...

Truly pathetic, he... _'Of course I picked you_ ,' he'd told her, even after the scar across his chest had been discovered and his face smashed in with all the force of an enraged ox. His nose was still bruised, she could see under the breathing mask. Still somewhat red and... ' _More than anythin'_ ,' he had whispered clearly, ' _I really... Really love you..._ ' He...

Of all the things to say damn it! "You... You god-damned MUTT!" Of all the things to...

She was shaking she noticed, gripping the side rail on the gurney as she looked down at the blond. She was shaking and as she closed her mouth the room fell silent, nothing but the occasional 'double breath' from the machine and the beating pound of the auto-pulse meeting the air. Of course there was no answer she thought to herself with a clenched jaw, staring at the motionless and silent body before her. Of course she snarled to herself, bowing her head somewhat.

Of course this idiot would find a way to avoid questioning, to avoid any burning questions about the duel, about the words he'd (and she as well..!) somehow understood from the blond's opponent, about the talking...

' _RA._ ', he'd said flatly. Nothing more, nothing less, not even as though to speak to Malik. Simply...

RA.

As though he knew the beast before him. As though he'd known all along that those were his final moments, that there was no looking back, and as her grip tightened on the gurney rail her mind drifted along the vague trail that thoughts of the blond left behind.

What did she have to do, she asked herself again, to convince him not to fight... What did she have to do?

' _You could kiss me_ ,' his memory offered with a chuckle, Seto's jaw clenching even further into a vice as she closed her eyes just for a moment.

"You... I wouldn't kiss you even if you died," she forced through the air, narrowed eyes opening and nonetheless faltering as those moments before the match came to mind. "Even if..." Even...

If...

... Moron...

MORON!

"Did you need your stupid first kiss so badly!" she snarled, raising her voice just slightly as her eyes widened, the woman leaning over the gurney somewhat as she shouted at the body. "Did you want to prove yourself so much you had to get yourself killed? Get this through your head!" she roared, despite the fact that no one would answer and despite the fact that none would hear from behind the steel walls around them. "I'm not some pathetic school girl you can 'crush on', MUTT! I'm your EMPLOYER!" she continued, still shaking as she shouted at the blond. "So don't even think of keeping secrets from me! You..."

She was trembling... (Stop shaking damn it..!)

Her palms were bleeding... (What did she care!)

"You... Moron... Y..."

She'd asked about the scars. Once... _'It's nothin'._ ' Twice... ' _Like I said. 'S nothin'._ ' And why...

Why was she still SHAKING!

Why did she feel this weak! Why...

Why did she care even a little about... Why did she care about something as little as...

"Katsuya..."

The woman didn't even pause as the blond's first name came forward, merely pushing on with shuddering breaths.

"Did you think... I wouldn't believe you?" she whispered, closing her eyes tight as the steady compressions and 'breaths' in the air hovered in her ears. "That you would have to kill yourself twice to prove yourself as a 'duelist' of all things?" Even after that fiasco on the docks?

Even after that twisted Virtual World, both at 'home' and beneath the seas? Even...

"You've already done enough," she snarled, answered with nothing but the peaceful 'sleeping' face of the blond before her. "You saved my brother... Once, twice, THREE TIMES!" Possibly more!

And in addition...

"..You have a scar completely encompassing the area Ra struck... Your cards were being pulled from your hands on their own, and your feet are covered in burns..." And a multitude of other unexplainable events that unfolded on that field before her as foreign languages were ignored and as Gods rose far beyond the limit of the hologram's field. The number of injuries on that chart seemed impossible in fact, even with all that in mind.

Fractures in his skull.

Multiple incisions on his arms and face, albeit faded and smaller than noted oddly enough.

His heart refused to pump and his lungs refused to move, and with one of them collapsed and completely run through by some unseen force that was reminiscent of a broad sword how could she be surprised? With all that happened, all that remained...

"You... I watched you become impaled... On NOTHING!" she hissed, eyes bloodshot as they opened once again. "My _brother_ watched... And you think you can sleep through this as though it's NOTHING! As though this is just another battle for you!" Answer her...

ANSWER HER! SHE...

There was no answer though.

"Moron..." No answer at all. "MORON!"

Something wet had fallen on the sheet she noted idly, still shaking as she stood at the side of the gurney. Something small and wet, staining the sheet with water...

"I hate you," she whispered, still shaking as she gripped the gurney rail. "I HATE you!" More than anything she tried to tell herself, more than anything, she... "Gh... ...This mask... Was flawless until I met you," Seto hissed. "Flawless..! 'Men' don't cry," she spat, unknowingly repeating Gozaburo's words from years ago. "And they certainly don't let other 'men' KISS them," the woman continued half desperately, rage more than evident across her face. "And that card..."

That one card...

"Gh..." Stop crying! Stop crying, she snarled to herself in the back of her mind, just stop! Just...

Stop.

...

Seto's hands fell from the side of the gurney as the room went silent, the woman ignoring any wetness on her cheeks as she stared at the bed.

He was dying.

His heart wasn't beating and he was dying. But he couldn't die, she told herself. He couldn't! Not for her brother. Not for her, not...

He just couldn't die. He couldn't die, he couldn't die, he _COULD NOT DIE_!

_But she couldn't control that!_

Of all the things in her power there was just one thing...

Just one...

"You should have won that card," she said quietly. Again there was no answer, and she stood with her head bowed as she pulled back with crossed arms, hands gripping above her elbows with almost as much force as exerted on the gurney rail moments prior. "Ra should have been yours," she repeated. "You won that match... And not that scum waiting on the field right now. Do you hear me?" Seto growled, raising her voice as her arms fell back to her sides. "I admit it! YOU WON! So WAKE UP!" she shouted, eyes narrowed in the same desperate rage she'd held through most of her words. "Before the end of all of this I want you to wake up! Understand?" Understand...

...

No answer.

Of course not. He was in a coma, worse than that even. Of course...

It was like he'd said. Exactly like...

"... 'Love'," she 'sneered', trying and failing to pull a face at the word as she stared at the bed. "You're more pathetic than I thought, talking about things like that... What did you expect me to do in response?" Seto asked with a shout, "Admit the same in return? HN!"

Though the snort echoed through the air with honesty at its edges her glare softened, arms again shaking her sides as the steady 'thump' of the auto-pulse again continued.

"...Wake up," she repeated, quieter this time. "Wake up," she whispered almost desperately. "...If you don't wake up," the woman continued, staring at the bed with an expression that she'd reserved for her brother until that moment, "How am I supposed to give you your answer, 'Mutt'?"

There was no answer.

Not that she expected one, right, her mind reminded her. It would have been...

Ridiculous, if he woke up now. And she didn't love him she told herself, turning away somewhat as she shook her head. That would be stupid, completely idiotic. Ridiculous! She had no time for romance, and no interest in the matter whatsoever.

Not like hormonal dogs she thought to herself, unable to stop her face from heating up at the reminder of the kiss he'd forced on her. Not that he'd done much forcing outside pulling her in with no warning. It was a light kiss, a soft one and-

And...

She had no time to be thinking of kisses, she snarled mentally, the steady 'thump' of compressions continuing to fill the air. And why did she even need to remember that anyways? He won! And he was going to wake up...

And after all, hadn't he said it himself? ' _If I win, and if I don't die, then we can act like it never happened. We can go back to when I didn't say anything, and back to before that kiss. And until then..._ ' Until then...

"Moron," she repeated yet again, turning away to leave the room as it was again left in nearly complete silence. "How could things possibly go back to before then?"

* * *

He didn't quite know what to say, standing there at Jonouchi's bedside. He'd been there for quite a while actually- he'd followed the doctor into the room after a quick look to his other self, at the body that was still staring with wide and almost terrified eyes as the shock of what had occurred continued to pound again and again and _again_ at their minds.

He'd followed and stared helplessly from his transparent and ghost-like state as the doctor and the two guards from before hurriedly rushed to stop the bleeding wound, to stabilize his vitals, to keep him alive, _period_.

' _We're losing him!_ ' Kuzushi was shouting with wide eyes, blood already covering a majority of their hands as gloves were thrown on and gauze snatched from the sides. ' _He's not going to last much longer..!_ ' They were panicking...

He shouldn't have been watching but he was the only one that could, and he couldn't even force himself to turn away anymore! He...

' _How is this even possible?_ ' one of the guards was saying amidst the chaos, pushing the gauze on the wound as the others attempted to treat the wound and stop the blood.

' _Doesn't matter right now, what matters is keeping him alive..!_ '

' _This isn't good, he's losing way too much blood..._ '

' _Dogtags say he's type B Negative..._ ' Ah-

The dog tags? Yugi's spirit sniffed as he was pulled from the echoed reality he was listening to, wiping his eyes and turning to where the tags had been removed from around his friend's neck. He'd never seen those up close but... Looking them now they had his name, his address...

"She put his blood type there," he whispered, shaking his head. But...

Why would she...

' _Does anyone here have type B Negative blood?_ ' he could hear Kyouko shout into the hall, the boy not turning back from where the others were bandaging his friend's wounds. ' _Anyone?_ ' Silence.

And then, as the boy bowed his head with a bit lip-

' _I do_.' That voice...

Otogi? The teen was pulled in and Yugi drifted off to the side still watching in silence at what transpired before him.

It was almost surreal. They attached some sort of tube and needle to the inside of Otogi's elbow, asking him multiple questions as they went... About diseases, about possible conditions that might be carried with the blood (and yet with the process they were already going through, was it procedure or distraction?)...

There was some kind of machine in between the tubes, and soon enough both ends of the clear piping were a solid red in colour. Flowing...

From one arm to another and...

Yugi choked somewhat, bowing his head and closing his eyes as tears continued to roll down his face. He couldn't look he told himself, curling inward in the air as he shook. He couldn't, he just couldn't any more and-

_Breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-_ And...

That sound...

As he opened his eyes they were met with chaos once again. ' _We're losing him!_ ' Losing?

He was dying!?

_'But the transfusion-'_ That was right, shouldn't that have-

' _That's not going to be enough idiot! Get the AutoPulse over here!_ ' Auto..?

' _Starting CPR... Five... Ten.._.' It did CPR then?

And why...

Why did his heart stop!

' _This is it right?_ ' Why...

' _It says AutoPulse doesn't it? Get it over here!_ '

...Why!

' _...Twenty Five... Thirty... Administering two breaths!_ '

' _Now start the machine, attach it like this..._ ' Please start breathing...

_'Still no pulse!'_ Please come back...

_'Damn it all!_ ' Please..!

' _You- get out, and tell Seto-sama to get in here!_ ' Kaiba?

' _Machine seems to be working fine..._ ' But Jonouchi was dying, he was dying!

_'How long can that thing-_ ' Otogi was looking around the doctor almost in fear and-

' _Just GO!_ '

Yugi continued to stare in horror as the monitor for Jonouchi's heart rate flatlined, frozen in shock even as people ran back in forth with no awareness to his presence, running through his body like the ghost he currently was. Otogi was forced out of the room. The machine was hooked up and only after a few long and painful minutes did things begin to calm from the panic of his friend's cardiac arrest. The bleeding had been stopped, ironically with the help of the very reason to hook him up to the machine.

And though Jonouchi still lacked a pulse the doctor appeared to be completely confident that this machine would keep his blood pumping both until that time and until the helicopter had him in a hospital room with better suited equipment. But even so...

With all of this-! With all that was going on... "It's... A lie," he whispered to himself, gripping the edge of his friend's mattress only for his fingers to pass through and fall back to his sides. "It's not true, it's not real," he whispered to himself, "It's a dream..." Please let it be a dream...

Let it be one horrible, horrible nightmare, let him wake up, let Jonouchi be there and alive and laughing please...

"Gh... Hngg... Ng..." He couldn't be dead... He couldn't, he was his best friend! And...

And as long as they said his brain functioned... As long as they-

Outside his other self had removed his duel disk, taking refuge in an empty area of the hall as he slammed a fist against the side. They didn't react in the same way, to this tragedy- but they reacted just as extremely. That promise they'd made with Jonouchi...

That had helped them keep going in this tournament. Through Battle City, through everything, regardless of what happened to them. But now when that same friend they'd made the promise to was in this condition, it felt more like everything was over. And in its place there was nothing...

Nothing but hatred for the 'other Malik' but even with that what would happen after, even if they defeated him in a battle of vengeance? When these wounds had been inflicted not by Malik, but by Jonouchi _himself_! But by the events of his own duel!

Because he'd _known_! He'd known...

_'Shadow games... They don' mean anythin' t' me.'_

"Why..." He'd known what would happen, all along he'd known... "Why didn't you say anything?" he cried, sniffing and wiping his eyes on the side of his jacket while he choked on his tears. "We're friends aren't we?" Best friends...

He'd said it himself so...

"So why... Why didn't you tell me..." Why didn't he tell them...

That their promise had the potential to kill him?

Kaiba was at the side of him right now. Speaking to the doctor beside the gurney...

' _I'll be back in a moment,'_ Kuzushi had just told him, moving back and out of the room to leave them in silence. Alone, Yugi noted as he stood at the bottom end of the bed. She'd left him alone here...

Fifteen minutes until they'd be expected to duel but...

For once it looked as though even Seto was dreading this fight.

That she wanted nothing to do with the tournament any longer. And for a moment there was nothing but silence. And then... Just when he assumed she would turn around to prepare for the match, she spoke.

' _You fool_ ,' she whispered, quietly at first. ' _You pathetic barking dog_!' The woman's voice rang through the air with an almost electric 'ting' floating through his ears, the volume throwing him off as he stared toward the woman in silence. Kaiba... He noticed only now but...

She seemed to be shaking almost and-

' _You god damned MUTT..!_ ' But how? Why...

Again Kaiba fell silent, as though waiting for an answer to the shouts. And again, despite it seeming almost unlike her, she spoke again. ' _You...I wouldn't kiss you... Even if you died..._ '

Kiss?

Yugi's eyes widened, the boy swallowing as he continued to stare. He probably should have left, he told himself. Kaiba couldn't see him after all so she didn't know he was there. Didn't know he could hear her, and that he was listening. It was rude and out of place...

But what was she talking about? He was too confused to move, too curious, too...

' _Even... If...'_ She was having trouble speaking... That wasn't like her though. She couldn't speak... But why?

Why not, he asked himself. The shouts began again-

Almost frantic in tone despite the fact that it would be better to shout at a wall. He'd never heard Kaiba talk like this... Never heard any mention of such from Mokuba or Jonouchi, not that they would likely say anything like that. Maybe that was why he couldn't leave.

Why he couldn't...

' _Katsuya..._ '

He'd never heard her use anyone's first name other than her brother's, at least with this kind of tone Yugi thought from the side of the room. Not when she'd already made constant use of his last name, but...

She was still shouting, shaking, whispering...

Acting in a way she'd never have done if she knew he was in there, watching and-

' _I watched as you impaled yourself on_ _ **nothing**_ ,' she hissed, the boy at the side biting his lip the reminder of the gruesome scene. Of the sudden spurt and release of blood as what appeared to be nothing charged through his side. ' _My BROTHER watched!_ ' the woman continued, ' _And you think you can sleep through this as though it's nothing?_ '

"Kaiba-san," he whispered, watching as the woman continued to shake. This wasn't like her...

Stop... ' _Moron..._ ' Stop...

"Kaiba-san," he repeated, "Don't..." Stop this...

' _MORON!_ ' Stop! Just... ' _Gh...Ngh..._ ' Kaiba was...

Crying, he realized with lowered eyes. Her head was bowed and shadowed by hair that had grown out somewhat during her coma, and her fingernails were digging into the palms of her hands as they wrapped around the pole at the side of the gurney. She was crying. Her tears were staining the sheets and...

And...

' _I hate you_ ,' she was whispering, voice wavering somewhat as she tried and failed to leer at the victim before her. ' _I hate you! I HATE YOU!_ ' She had a mask to uphold. She had a disguise, a company, and a brother to worry about...

Kaiba was a private person. She didn't trust many people, not at all. So when someone she'd come to trust was about to die...

When someone she'd finally stopped glaring at constantly, if not only when no one was looking, was dying on the bed before her...

' _Men... Don't cry,_ ' the woman was growling, her jaw clenching between words. ' _And they certainly don't let other men kiss them! And that card..._ ' The card?

'Ra,' he thought he heard someone say. The third God card. The one that did this to him, the one that...

Kaiba fell silent yet again, somehow calming down the shudders as she stepped back from the bed. He still couldn't see her eyes. The expression of rage she'd held with those shouts, the desperate expression she'd held in the face of the thing that had so violently been ripped out of her control, was gone. She couldn't let that sort of thing affect her after all; that was how she saw it. That was how...

She...

' _You should have won that card,_ ' she said quietly, staring almost coldly at the gurney before her. He should have...

What? Yugi stared, eyes widening somewhat as he looked toward the woman. She was admitting...

Well. He didn't think she'd accept Malik as the winner, but even so. After all she'd said...

Could he say that now?

' _Ra should have been yours,_ ' she was continuing on, teeth grinding as she narrowed her eyes. ' _You won that match... And not that scum waiting on the field right now... Do you hear me?_ ' she shouted, tears still dotting the corners of her eyes as she focused her rage. ' _You WON... SO WAKE UP! Before the end of this I want you to wake up, UNDERSTAND?_ ' she howled, as though still waiting for the answer.

But she wasn't going to get an answer in the end.

Kaiba realized that, and it was obvious but... As she spoke he continued to stand there frozen in confusion, pity, and a whole other mess of things he never expected to feel around the woman. _'Love,_ ' she spat, though the sound was only half-hearted in tone. ' _You're more pathetic than I thought, talking about things like that... What did you expect me to do in response?_ ' she continued with a roar, ' _Admit the same?_ ' Her words echoed through the air almost tauntingly, and still the woman continued as her posture slackened once again into an odd and formerly non-existent state of worry and pity. ' _Wake up_ ,' she whispered, staring at the bed with a broken stare. _'Wake up... ...If... You don't wake up_ ,' she asked quietly, '... _How am I supposed to give you your answer?_ '

She wanted an answer; that much was obvious but...

But Jonouchi couldn't hear any of that. He just continued to 'sleep', his blood kept pumping only by the machine giving him chest compressions, with oxygen supplied only by the occasional set of two breaths from the machine accompanying it. Even when words that were more confusing than anything else he heard came over the air, he slept. Even when, as Kaiba made to leave the room, she said...

' _Moron- How could things possibly go back to before then_?' But what was _then_ he wanted to ask, staring at the door in silence. What was it! He wanted to know but...

But this was Kaiba's conversation he told himself, bowing his head and biting his lip.

Her private conversation with the unconscious, a release of words she would never say out loud. Which meant that no matter what he told himself, closing his eyes as he shook, he couldn't say anything.

Even though no one wanted to fight any more, even though everything was going wrong, wrong, _wrong_..! "J... Jonouchi-kun," he whispered, shaking as tears ran down his face. "Jonouchi-kun... Why... Why..!" Why didn't he talk...

Why didn't he say something, anything, _ANYTHING..!_

"You can't die Jonouchi-kun!" he cried, shaking his head. "You can't die!" he repeated, "You just can't, I..." He was the only one other than his other self...

The only one they could both hear and speak to, no matter who was where, he was...

The others were being allowed inside now he noticed. Slowly, quietly, the doctor giving them strict instructions as she took them in.

Shizuka broke down at the bedside moments after reaching it, falling to her knees. Honda was begging the doctor to fix this somehow, no matter what, and all Mokuba could say was that with the helicopter now two and a half hours away it would be better to wait things out than attempt to fly back.

His other self hadn't come in though he realized, slowly floating out of the room to find him. He hadn't...

Ah.

There he was. "There are five minutes left," Kaiba was telling him in the hallway, the boy not looking back from the wall he leaned his forehead upon. His dueldisk was at the side, near a slightly scratched wall.

Had he thrown it?

The other him said nothing in response to both the words and the mental questioning, and so Kaiba continued. "He will not die- I've made sure of that," she said coldly, as though such a thing was perfectly within her control. There was still no answer, and so she continued. "For now," she told him, "I expect to see you across from me on the arena."

Another pause for an answer. And still more silence in response. His partner's eyes were blank, empty, dead, cold...

Staring blankly at the wall and ground, and eventually it seemed that Kaiba had given up speaking to him. "I'll be waiting for you," the woman told him as she moved to leave the airship. "Understand?" Understand? How could they? How could they fight? Even his other self was shaking, again slamming his fist against the wall in defeat and despair.

Grinding his teeth in a continued silence in the empty hall. "It's all over," the boy finally said, the spirit beside him attempting to approach only to shrink back in his tears at those words. "All... Over..." All of it. So how...

How were they supposed to fight?

How were they supposed to move on through something like this, in a situation where even the doctor had to break a few laws for the sake of their friend's life, how...

How..!

" _Grrn... Rrrrnnnn..?_ " What...

Both Yugis jumped at the low growl coming from their side, turning as a 'shadow' seemed to hover before them from the end of the hall. For a split second... Just a short, almost nonexistent moment he thought he'd seen something black, and-

And there it was again. Flickering in and out, in and out like a hologram. Same with the sound, and-

" _Grrrnnnn..._ " A black dragon, likely the size of large dog... Was... Sitting... Right...

In front of them...

" _T-This..._ " Yugi swallowed as the image cleared, eyes widening with fear and shock both. " _This dragon is..._ "

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon," his other self whispered, staring at the monster in shock. The detail was clearing on the monster and it was standing far too close to deny the presence. Close enough to see the detail of each scale. Close enough to feel the heat radiating from its form, to smell the ash on its breath as it snorted like some strange reptilian horse. Close enough to see the pupils in what would ordinarily seem to be completely red eyes...

And in their stiffened silence the dragon before them moved down to all fours, leaning its head inward to sniff the boy before it and come even closer. " _...Snrf... Nfff... Grrn ..._ " Snuffling noises, growling noises, as though this was a real animal and- " _Rrrrrrnnn..._ " This...

"What's it doing?" Yugi whispered with a swallow, the corporal of the two stepping back somewhat as the dragon moved even closer with the same constant snuffling sounds. "What-"

Without warning the dragon's head came forward, large red eyes seeming almost curious as it examined the boy like a possible meal or toy. But despite this neither of them could move; for as the dragon looked toward the body's pocket something seemed to glow from their side, and the look in the dragon's eyes seemed to change. And seconds later, even as the teen pulled back, that dragon pulled at the thin gold cord hanging out from the edge and held toward them the tauk, its eyes gleaming in an unknown light as it held the object before them.

The tauk.

The brilliantly glowing millennium tauk, the light off its form almost blinding.

With nothing else to do, both he and the other Yugi reached out to it, a voice seeming to come through their ears...

' _Neh, Yugi_ ,' someone asked. _'A true duelist... A true 'warrior'... Tha's someone who fights t' th' end, f'r everyone, no matter what righ'? Righ'?_ ' J...

Jonouchi. That was Jonouchi they realized, hand clasping over the tauk's 'eye', that was-

As their fingers closed around the necklace the hallway they stood within seemed to almost melt away completely. They were standing in a street, with the sun setting in the distance, not a single trace of the dragon or the airship remaining...

' _I want t' show you,_ ' he thought he heard, Jonouchi's voice faded and almost ghost-like in the distance. ' _I wanna show you... What I saw._ ' This vision...

An empty street, and Jonouchi smiling across from him with his duel disk held forward, the device locked into position and ready for play...

" _Hey, Yugi_ ," he said with a grin, an expression almost unconsciously mirrored by his friend. " _Our ' Battle City ' ain' over yet... R'member?_ "

Like a draining sink the vision vanished from sight, spiralling back into the tauk as it hung limp in his hands. For a few moments Yugi, the 'Other Yugi', stared forward, shaking his head. "That vision," his partner began, shocked almost silent. "That..."

Red-Eyes still stood before him, if only for a few moments. The dragon bowed its head, looking into the eyes of the human boy before it with a low growl. This vision...

This message... As the dragon misted away into shadows he nodded, gripping the tauk tightly and moving to grab his duel disk from the ground. "I understand," he said calmly, clacking the device over his wrist as he made to leave. "I'll fight... For Jonouchi... For everyone..." No matter what went on, it was time to finish this.

Time to duel.

* * *

Japan as a whole was often considered one of the 'politer' countries. There was much tradition and honor in the language, and the complexity of certain phrases and statements could seem completely bizarre to the passing tourist, beginning student, or anyone not raised within that same culture.

One large example was the difference in how women and men were raised to speak, with choice phrases and suffixes added or removed to suit the situation. Though certain patterns lessened over the years, certain pronouns were considered 'girls only' while others were considered 'boys only'. Things like 'ore' or 'ora' for example were 'boys only'. In fact to use the phrase was so assertive that in certain situations it could be considered almost rude...

Not that he paid any attention to that.

'Boku' was another 'boys only', not that the nickname 'bokuko' didn't still exist; there were a few girls who would use the term after all, extreme tomboys or even just rude young women. Then there were the girls who weren't running around using 'boku'. Watashi, a polite pronoun, was most commonly used it seemed, though in formal situations men would use the term as well. This could be shortened to the less formal 'atashi', and even further, to the childish 'ashi', or 'atai', all three of which sounded just plain weird when a guy used them. It was this sort of thing that he'd grown up with.

This sort of thing he'd come to know. But Seto wasn't 'normal'. Seto pretended to be male, and had therefore adapted those habits of men. When referring to herself, she used 'Ore', no matter what the situation. When referring to someone else, it was either omae, or, if particularly enraged 'kisama' or 'onore'. It was something he was used to. Something he expected. So it was one thing when he heard the others refer to her by her old last name, 'Kouryuu'.

But it was another when he heard her voice, somehow more feminine in tone than it had ever been, echoing from the front...

"Sensei- _Osokunatte, sumimasen_..." Osoku- She...

Was apologizing for being late? And more importantly...

This wasn't weird? "It's fine," the teacher was telling her, gesturing to the desks. "Please, take your seat Kouryuu-san. I will excuse this for today; just make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Of course," came the flat answer. What what what! Those clothes! She was wearing the girl's uniform and...

Over the PA the teacher was called down, Seto briefly looking back before watching as the teacher left. Just seconds more and the usual crowd of friends turned on the woman, Katsuya left to stare in shock and mild horror both. "Hah... That was a close call Kaseri-chan," Anzu said with a smile, causing Katsuya to only further grit his teeth to hold back his groan. Kaseri... Chan...

It didn't work damn it! I just didn't work! Even so the others didn't seem to notice, instead agreeing with Anzu as the woman stood near the desk. "One minute late... That's rotten luck," Honda said somewhat plainly. 'Kaseri' merely smiled somewhat, the expression somehow leaving Katsuya with a mixed feeling of confusion and nausea both.

"My bus took a detour," she said somewhat plainly, the blond before her wincing as 'watashi' came over the air again. "So it took a little longer to get here than I'd hoped..." The others nodded, still staring at the much taller member of the group in slight silence.

"...I like your hair," Yugi said somewhat conversationally, looking at the apparently 'new' cut. "It's nice."

"It used to be so long though," Otogi added with raised eyebrows, "Why cut it?" The woman blinked, smile fading somewhat before replacing itself with ease.

"Ah... It was getting in my eyes," she answered, the reasoning sounding oddly similar to the reason the 'real Seto' preferred her own cut. "So I decided to cut it. It's better this way anyways," 'Kaseri' decided, "It doesn't get in the way of what I'm doing now..." Well.

He supposed that was true but...

It still didn't look right damn it! The skirt, the neatly brushed women's hairstyle, the smile that just didn't seem to be hers, and the 'watashi' 'watashi' _'watashi_ ' of all things..!

Katsuya stood from his chair without another word, the others turning with somewhat raised eyebrows.

"..Ah... Jonouchi-kun?" 'Kaseri' asked, unknowingly sending another sting through the blond at the sound of the honorific. "You look pale," she continued, tone laced in an obvious worry that was doing nothing at all to help. "Are you alright?"

"'M fine," he said a little too quickly, before moving to leave the room. "Jus' need t' do somethin' quickly," he added despite protests. Very quickly, he thought to himself as he brushed past the others. Very, very, very quickly.

Because, Katsuya told himself, splashing as much water on his face from the washroom sink as he could just moments later, this was more than clearly a dream. Or maybe a nightmare... Hell even a 'vision', who knew.

But for some reason he was in some kind of world where he wasn't waking up, where this cold water wasn't shocking him awake, his pinching wasn't sending enough pain to jar him...

He was stuck.

And he was aware of it.

Which was probably one of the worst kinds of 'stuck' because chances were, he wasn't supposed to be aware.

The blond groaned, slamming his head into the sink. "Alrigh' 'Ra'," the blond muttered, for some reason thinking of no other 'giant deity thing' than the phoenix that had struck him down. "If I'm dead," he continued under his breath, "An' th's is heaven... Then lemme tell y' now, yer doin' it wrong..." Seriously...

This dream...

" _Now what is he doing?_ " he thought he heard someone mutter, the voice almost familiar to him. The blond froze, and again it continued. " _Splashing himself and muttering about dreams... ...Strange..._ " That voice...

Katsuya turned, narrowed eyes honing in on the far corner of the ceiling. For a moment there was nothing there. After a few seconds however something appeared, seeming to originate from the dark point of the corner itself. A shadow... Almost completely black in colour, poking in through the walls and-

"You?" he muttered, eyes narrowing further as the shadow began to clear. This shadow... No-

Not a shadow. Not completely. There was colour there, it was just too dark to see. And besides that, in the center of his brow he could see...

The 'eye'. This was...

"...Th' other Yugi..."

The 'other Yugi' seemed to stiffen with shock, Katsuya as well staring up in confusion as the spirit came forward. " _You... You can see me?_ " he muttered in surprise, the blond nodding just slightly as the ghost narrowed his eyes. " _You can_ hear _me?_ " he continued, floating before the blond with narrowed eyes. This...

"'F course I can," he said without thought, nonetheless stepping back as he looked over this 'other world' version of his friend. Completely dark, black... Like a liquid shadow... Like...

Darkness.

" _Impossible_ ," the 'darkness' said bluntly, eyes almost a single shade of colour in the shadows that he was made of. " _Even the one who carries my vessel can't see me,_ " he continued, Katsuya's frown deepening. " _There's no reason for you to be different_." Vessel?

Waaaaait... "Y-Y' mean Yugi?" Katsuya repeated with a swallow, waiting for a response only to get silence. "Yugi can't..." More silence. But...

No...

He shook his head, looking away for a brief moment. "No way," he muttered, "Tha' ain't possible... I saw Bakura out there," he continued, recalling the 'change point' between where his friend had started trying to reach out more to the ghost. By this point in time he'd long since been able to see him but how... "How..."

The shadow blinked, crossing his arms a moment as he looked to the blond oddly. There was suspicion there. A large amount of suspicion, most likely in regards to being 'seen' or to his 'friend' acting against the restrictions of the dream, but in the end the spirit shook his head. " _When the Dark Bakura and I fought_ ," he explained flatly, " _It's true that we became aware of each other... However, due to the circumstances through which they came about, I don't feel that we will be able to meet again..._ " The circumstances..?

What circumstances?

" _True, Bakura is alive again_ ," 'Yugi' was muttering, crossing his arms as he hovered in the air, " _But given all that happened between... ...Well..._ " 'Well'? Wait...

Wait. He'd have understood if they all swore the 'other Yugi' off from a first meeting like that but...

He shook his head, stepping back once again. "No... No way," he muttered with wide eyes, "You an' Yugi did tha' at... At Death-T, you both came t' terms w' th' other an'-"

And the look on the other Yugi's face said it all, obvious confusion evident even in completely black and shadowed eyes and facial features. " _...Death... T..?_ "

Katsuya paled, realization hitting him cold. Seto was 'Kaseri', that was one change. But there was another; Kaseri wasn't 'Kaseri Kaiba' after all, she was Kaseri _Kouryuu_. Which meant that Kaseri had never been adopted by Gozaburo, possibly never adopted at all. Which meant she'd never taken over Kaiba Corp and turned it over into a game company. Which meant she'd never fought Yugi for Blue Eyes, had never built that horrific tower in an act of vengeance after the penalty game exacted, had never put Yugi through the trauma that would force him to tell everyone that he thought there was another him...

Which meant in turn that they wouldn't have started trusting each other, when they themselves said rather bluntly that 'two Yugi's were just as welcome as one. Yugi's blackouts would have continued, along with the odd number of victims and-

"...Tha'... So y' still give 'm black outs then?" he asked somewhat quietly.

There was a somewhat owlish stare in response, as though he'd asked something completely ridiculous. In the end however, he shook his head, sighing almost guiltily. " _I wasn't aware you even knew about that,_ " he whispered, folding his arms as his friend bit his lip. " _How exactly is it that you can see me anyways?_ "

The blond stared, looking to the shadow before him. What little emotion he was displaying looked almost to be tied to what would be 'expected' rather than what he 'felt'. He felt guilty, that was obvious but...

It was too extreme. It wasn't in check at all, it was just washing off the body in literal waves of darkness. This...

He really was just a 'shadow' now, wasn't he. Just following behind, invisible and...

"...Hey," he asked, looking to the ghost almost in pity despite himself. Besides the fact that he couldn't answer the question... Just what had gone on here? "How long 's it been since y' spoke t'..."

How long since they said a single word to each other? " _Since the Monster World game,_ " the spirit admitted, Katsuya growing more than pale at the mention of an almost year-long-past event. " _I haven't even been able to access the body since then. All I can do is follow him like some 'shadow'..._ " Hell, he looked like one... " _You even began calling me 'Darkness,_ '" he added almost bitterly, turning from where he'd looked away with crossed arms. " _Not even 'Dark Yugi', 'other Yugi'... Just 'Darkness'. It's my body too isn't it?_ " the boy muttered, before falling somewhat limp. " _...Though I suppose... In the end, it's not even that,_ " he decided with a sad frown. Not even that...

Darkness. 'Yami'. The name sent chills down his spine, not that he'd admit it. Hell... He knew the 'other Yugi' was one dark guy when he was first around but...

Yami? Sounded like the kind of game for the final 'big bad', the last monster in the video game. Not the name for him.

...Alright...

Alright he told himself, shaking his head as he tried to clear it. Alright... Besides the fact that this world was way too twisted for him to handle with ease, this...

More silence hung over the air, the pair trading a long and awkward stare before the less physical of the two finally spoke up again. " _You... You'll tell them I won't hurt them right?_ " the spirit asked, almost pleadingly, Katsuya blinking. That he wouldn-

But why would they have to know that, it should have been obvious that-

" _Before, when he met with Otogi... With all that happened_ ," he continued with a swallow, Katsuya knowing just what he referred to, " _...I think my absence affected him somehow, and negatively. He won't acknowledge me... But he won't abandon me either,_ " the spirit continued almost in lament. " _I think he's still afraid. Of me, of my intentions... So if you could tell him_ ," the ghost asked, " _Even just to let him no that no matter what, I still protect him, I..._ "

Katsuya stared, before nodding somewhat guiltily. Try as he might to pretend this didn't matter because it was a 'dream', it still felt all too real to ignore really. All the same, if it was this far...

He had a feeling that whatever he said would make things a hell of a lot worse.

"Y ... Yeah," he said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll let 'm know next time I visit 'm," he decided. "When it's jus' us tw... Three," he corrected. 'Yami' seemed to sigh in relief at that, a small smile even appearing.

" _Hah... Thank you. I can't even describe how much this-_ "

_-breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..!_ \- Ah-

The blond jumped, looking up at the ceiling. That sound... "Ah... Fire alarm? We havin' a drill then?" What the hell was the fire alarm going off fo-

" _Hn... An alarm for fire..? But where?_ " The blond stared at the ghost a moment, shaking his head. Wow... The other Yugi not being tied to the real one was...

Really putting a damper on this one's knowledge of things. A lot. Regardless Katsuya simply shook his head, grabbing the spirit's arm and pulling him through the door before dropping it as he ran through the already developing crowd. "You c'n ask Yugi abou' it later," he said quickly, holding his voice at its usual 'secret whisper'. "If I ain't out there fast enough I'm screwed!"

" _Ah, right..._ " 'Right' indeed. Now...

If he could just figure out everything else about this weird 'dream' world.


	5. The Flap of a Butterfly

School had passed in probably the most awkwardly slow fashion in the history of any class he'd ever taken. He couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything, and worst of all the others continued on mentioning things, small things, that had happened in the place of all that went on in his 'real world'.

Things which he either only barely picked up on, or found himself missing completely as he stared in embarrassed and agitated confusion. For one, what the other Yugi had said before the fire drill was right. When mentioned (in passing) as the 'other Yugi' during lunch, they'd been confused as hell and wondering if he was alright.

Again. It wasn't until he said 'darkness' that they understood who he was talking about. And when, after Anzu decided to ream him out for even thinking that they were the same person, he had asked why they called him that.

_'Because that's what he is,_ ' Yugi responded with an eerie amount of ease. _'My 'darkness'.'_

Something told him that Ishizu never showed up with that in mind. Or maybe just 'hadn't' yet, which had him wondering about the replacement for battle city as well. But regardless of differences when the 'other Yugi' appeared, when 'Yami' appeared, no one knew he was there and no one saw.

He kept himself as disconnected from the group as possible, lest he provoke still more negativity in his direction. Ironically enough it seemed that by remaining afraid of the shadow Yugi himself had become more like his _other_ self. A little more confident, a little stronger...

But that wasn't right, he told himself later. It wasn't right, and it wasn't Yugi. This wasn't the one he'd come to know as his friend, and if he didn't wake up soon he'd-

"So, Kaseri-san," Yugi said later that day as they slowly left the school building. "Do you think you'll enter that tournament? You have a pretty good deck after all," he continued, "So..."

Kaseri had turned at that request, blinking. "My deck? ...Hn!" She smirked, shaking her head. "Obviously it's not so good if you always beat me..."

"Eh, no one beats Yugi," Honda countered absently. "Heck, I think he's the only one who can beat you," he muttered almost sourly, "With your three dragons..."

"I don't use those in my deck though," she responded with a dry frown. "You know that. The closest thing I have is my Emerald Dragon, and that hardly counts; the rest of you are just bad at the game, hnhnhn..."

Kaseri went on with the conversation, Katsuya again freezing behind the group. That... She had the Blue Eyes cards, but she didn't-

Very big difference.

Huge difference, he told himself, this was...

"Jonouchi?" Anzu said with a smile, turning back was he was snapped out of his stupor yet again. "Want to go to burger world?" Burger world?

The blond's eyes drifted over the shadow before him, the shadow of his friend which was now hovering amidst the crowd unseen. This world was weird... Different.

Not...

"Nah," he said quickly, shaking his head as the shadow poked out of sight. "I got... I got somethin' t' do," he muttered as he walked off. "I'll see y' later, I-"

"Ah- Jonouchi-kun?" Yugi said quickly, reaching out as the blond turned back. "Why are you going that way?" That way?

Katsuya blinked, looking toward the direction he'd been about to walk. What were they talking about, he always went this way, that was where-

...Right, he told himself, growing somewhat pale as he bit his lip. 'Seto Kaiba' never existed, therefore he'd never snuck into the mansion to figure out what was in her briefcase, which in turn meant he'd never gotten hired there which meant...

He still lived in the apartment with his old man.

Who wouldn't have been in jail in this world, who wouldn't have been broken out of his alcoholism... Who would likely be irritable, drunk, and ready to throw whatever was on-hand to start up an old game of 'duck, duck _DUCK DAMNIT_ ', and agghhh...

Damn it all, he thought as he scratched his head. This just wasn't working for him at all... It was too weird, too different, too...

Well... SHIT!

"There's somethin' I gotta do in th's direction," he said somewhat flatly, finally taking a deep breath and walking off. "Jus'... I'll see y' all later, alrigh'?" he continued. The others seemed more than confused on the matter but for the most part as he walked away they didn't follow. He wouldn't know of course...

After all, he didn't look back to check and he didn't want to. Not once.

But as he walked he had to fight off the gnawing feeling of confused and worried stares from friends that weren't his friends but _were_ his friends or at least _trying_ to be, burning holes into the back of his shirt as he moved.

And an hour later he was on the subway, still trying to calm himself from that fact. This wasn't real he was repeating through his mind, his panicked breathing haggard and quick as he gripped the hand rail. This wasn't real, not in any way and it was all a dream! A twisted, fucked up dream that butchered everything he knew! It wasn't real... It wasn't real...

God damn he sounded like Noa right now.

He needed to find out what happened, Katsuya decided as he came to the same supposedly random street where he'd found the internet cafe half a year ago. This place was only a 'little' different. But it was those little things that were drastically twisting everything he saw, changing things from mere movie posters to common world wide events. So he needed to find out what happened... And after forking over what was apparently all of his remaining change for an hour of net time, he found out just how much _hadn't._

For some reason while he was looking a poem from English class came to mind, line by line as he looked through article headlines and clips of video. How'd it go...

'For want of a nail...'

Ah-

Words appeared in his mind- briefly, just briefly as he left the cafe an hour later with a fairly depressed outlook on his situation.

_'For want of a nail the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe the horse was lost, for want of a horse the rider was lost, for want of a rider the message was lost, for want of a message the battle was lost, for want of a battle the kingdom was lost..._ '

"An' all f'r th' want 'f a horseshoe nail..."

Standing outside of the cafe his blood went cold after those words passed his lips, and it seemed to only now just hit him how much had changed.. Because 'Seto Kaiba' never existed, Gozaburo's Kaiba Corp was still the king of its previous field; weapons and arms, supplying to the highest bidder in an endless war overseas.

A war Japan had nothing to do with it.

The irony was that it seemed some other company called 'Schroider Corp' had done just what Kaiba had done by transforming their own company over to the Game industry to survive being beaten by Kaiba Corp in the arms industry, creating the duel table and most likely (he couldn't be sure given the date) the duel disk as well. All in all it seemed as though the technological end hadn't changed.

But because Seto Kaiba didn't exist the other Yugi faded into darkness, never forced into the open by a series of tragic and ultimately traumatizing events in one single tower. Because Seto Kaiba didn't exist, Pegasus was still alive, as Death T hadn't happened, as Seto had never had her soul 'crushed', thereby allowing the Big 5 to take the company, allowing them to impose that deal on Pegasus with the intent of merging companies...

Pegasus didn't need that in this world.

So he never even heard of Yugi. Or of Seto. Or Mokuba. Or Bakura. Or any other item holder really. There was no ' Duelist Kingdom'. The Yugi of this world had for some reason still not entered the tournament that would have led to the event, and it was likely simply because it was so soon after Bakura's appearance.

He didn't become a 'duelist icon'.

Pegasus never held his grandfather hostage for a fight between the loss of a soul or an incredible prize. His sister was blind. There was no prize from the duelist kingdom, so his sister was blind. And if she wasn't, it would have been from Ryuzaki Keichi's winnings in a tournament, and not his or his friend's, so in the end it was still as though he'd done absolutely nothing for her cause. She probably hadn't even spoken to him since they were kids.

The Ghouls still existed but they showed no signs of arriving in Tokyo from what he saw because at the moment there was no clue as to the whereabouts of the 'Pharaoh' that Malik would seek out, nor any mention of God Cards as Seto had used to lure them out for Battle City. And as he had searched for the Blue-Eyes White Dragons he found something even more fearful. First-

All three of the men whom owned those three blue eyes white dragons had suffered some form of tragedy, most of them shortly before online meetings with a similarly composed unknown source. One of them even turned up dead. Second...

Gozaburo Kaiba still had a son, but it wasn't Noa. Instead...

It was Mokuba.

"Jonouchi-kun?" a calm voice asked at that moment, Katsuya pulled from his fear filled thoughts as he turned. J-? Who was-

Brown hair came into view, along with a somewhat taller young woman currently dressed in something other than the school uniform. Set-

"...Set... Ka... Kouryuu," he finally forced out, the woman across from him staring somewhat owlishly at the mix of names coming forward. She'd been about to give someone a call from her phone. And hahaha, there was a small Blue-Eyes white dragon dangling from the end, that...

That was so like her, seriously...

But wait- this was way the hell at the edge of the district, so why- "...What're you..."

Kaseri merely blinked, silent for a few more moments. "I work nearby, repairing computers," she finally said, gesturing down the street as the blond looked around her. "...Jonouchi-kun?" she continued, frowning somewhat. "...Did something happen at your apartment again?" Eh-

Again..!

Katsuya blinked a few times in confusion, and the woman's frown increased somewhat. "As I recall... You had to spend a few weeks at Yugi-kun's last month because of something... You never said what it was though," she added, "So I assumed something happened to the apartment." Right...

The apartment, he... ...Shit. If he'd had to spend a few weeks at Yugi's recently...

Well there was no way it'd be safe right now! "Hah... ...Yeah... It..." It was...

...Damn these dreams were well 'planned'. Ehh...

"...Th' plumbin's still shot," he muttered as an excuse, easily catching the ' _I don't believe you_ ' look in Kaseri's eyes before pressing on nonetheless. "I'll manage anyways," he continued. "Don' mind me, I-"

"Hn... I understand," the woman responded, adjusting the bag under her shoulders before turning away to text something in on her phone. "In that case," she decided, “I suppose you can spend the night at my own apartment." AH-

"W-W-What... At your apartment?" he repeated, shaking his head. "Whady'-" Why would she...

What the hell! "Come on," Kaseri continued almost flatly, pulling him across the street by the arm as her 'friend' continued to sputter. "This way- I doubt Bakura-kun will mind much anyways."

"Ah-!" Hold on...

Bakura..!?

* * *

The wind on the field was cold and harsh and it blew her coat out behind her enough to make it appear as though she was wearing a cape around her waist. A similar effect was occurring with her opponent she noted as he made his way up the stairs, the woman's eyes momentarily freezing on the cold expression he held. As Yugi slowly clicked his duel disk into place the jacket he wore blew out behind him, his eyes narrowed with a steely determination to get things over with. There would be no

banter this time around, no traded insults. It was time.

No other way to put it.

"You came," she said almost simply, expression cold and nigh emotionless in appearance. The field was rising beneath their feet at that very moment, and even though it had been cleaned thoroughly in their absence it felt as though she was still standing in a puddle of blood, watching as Katsuya tried and failed to make that one desperate final attack.

_'Second match of the Semi-Finals,_ ' a voice called out, cutting her thoughts short ' _Kaiba Seto VS Mutou Yugi is about to start,_ ' Isono announced, the stage slowly continuing to rise as the two duelists stood in silence. ' _Ready your disks_!'

The words weren't even needed at the moment, and as the silence continued the stage rose higher still. Higher... Higher...

The arena locked in place and for a moment more there was only that silence. A cold wind blowing past them as they stared across the field at each other. "...Why do you insist on this tournament continuing?" her opponent eventually asked, disk held forward as he narrowed his eyes.

"Because it 'must'," she said almost stonily, looking forward with icy eyes. "And besides... Your friend is fighting for his life right now," Seto told him. "It's only fitting that we have our own battle to deal with. Something to distract you from your self-pity," she added coldly, her opponent appearing to hold back a growl in response. "Unless you really aren't trying to blame yourself for not facing him first to prevent this calamity..."

Yugi merely narrowed his eyes, swallowing. "Kaiba... And just what happens afterwards then?" he asked, almost turning away with the question. "At the end of this ' Battle City'?"

"The loser sulks, and the winner moves on. What else?" she asked bluntly, receiving nothing more than a continued glare in response. "That's all there is for the loser after all- despair, hopelessness. Nothing else." Nothing more than that...

And that would never change.

And yet he still thought otherwise. "Is that what you really think?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. The boy shook his head, and with not another moment gave his own opinion on the matter. "...You're wrong. You can take that option, true," Yugi went on, turning away somewhat in the blowing wind. "But there's still another option. To continue down that road ahead!" he shouted, "Looking onward to what lies at the end!" As though there were no losers then, right? As though everyone came out unscathed, as though nothing was wrong...

That... "Tch... Pointless," she snarled, gritting her teeth. "POINTLESS! There's only one winner and in the end that person must step over the bodies of the defeated regardless of who they might be! YUGI!" Seto went on. "I will defeat you... I will take your God Card, and I WILL fight Malik!" She had to fight him. No matter what! Her spirit wouldn't crumble here. That idiot in the ship would live and while they waited for that helicopter to arrive she would do all she could to end this...

All of it!

"HERE I COME!" she roared, holograms abruptly jumping up around them to form a series of colloseum walls. "DUEL START!"

The cold wind continued to blow and as Yugi looked around his eyes almost seemed to dim, taking in the scene that had replaced the ruined plain that was Alcatraz Island. The walls around them were cold, stone...

And silent. Not even a single holographic person sitting within the seats.

"Empty," Yugi said after a moment, shaking his head almost in surprise as he took in this fact. "The halls are..."

"This is merely a wall," Seto said almost dully, not willing to activate the 'second half' of the coliseum program. "To block out any distractions while we fight." Distractions such as Malik, such as the airship in the distance that she kept looking to, the image of Katsuya's broken and dying body, the feeling of that...

Kiss...

"I see," her opponent said stiffly, drawing his hand of cards while Seto did the same. "In that case, I'll move! ARE YOU READY?" the boy roared, the shouts more than pulling his opponent from her thoughts as she stared across the field. "I summon the Queen's Knight, in defense mode! In addition," he continued, the holographic knight standing at attention as a second card appeared, "One card face down!" Alright then... Her turn!

As she drew the card she couldn't help but let a smirk come over her face, looking back over where the light shimmered over Yugi's blond and red armored knight. Victory was on her side already. The first card she drew and it was Obelisk! Another card was grabbed from her hand, and the smirk remained in place. "I summon X-Head Cannon!" she announced, the holographic monster shimmering into existence with a metalized snarl as the card was placed. "I also set a face down card, and end my turn!"

"I'll summon another monster then," her opponent countered, familiar holographic form of Kuriboh appearing before her to croon as she snorted. "Kuriboh in defense mode!" Kuri... Ugh. Her only comfort was the lack of animations this one had... "Turn end!" Tch!

Always summoning this one... She'd teach him how foolish it was to play something like that against her! "My turn then! I use the spell 'Soul Exchange' to switch our monsters and use yours as tributes... In addition," the woman continued with a dark grin, the monsters already trading places in various showers of light, "Another spell! ENEMY CONTROLLER! Allowing me to control 'your' new X-Head Cannon," Seto shouted with a continued grin. "And for a small price of life points," the woman continued, the controller briefly hovering before her to enter a code that would bring the monster back to her field, "I have not two, but three sacrifices... So," she announced, grabbing the card from her hand as a storm began to brew, "I SUMMON-"

"TRAP CARD! LIGHT FORCE SWORD," Yugi roared, the holographic panel swinging upward as sword of light swung through the card her hand. Blinding light seared from the ground, the blade appearing to impale a holographic duplicate of her card to the field. The disk locked. She wouldn't be able to summon this for another three turns, regardless of the card she held! Damn it... "Hn! Don't get hasty," Yugi said from across her, a smirk on his face despite all that was going on. "This game's just started after all..."

Hn! "So has the count down to your defeat," she responded with a small and sneering smile. The monsters returned to their respective sides of the field with those words, but even with the lock on her God she wasn't worried. She had a strategy after all. This wouldn't stop her! "My turn is over," she continued aloud with that in mind, arms crossed as she gave a gesturing nod to her opponent. This was her battle. Her tournament. And as such she would be taking the reigns back if it killed her! "Your move, Yugi!"

Her opponent nodded, looking to his deck as he drew his next card. She had her God. He didn't. And despite Light Force Sword being in play that fact alone had Yugi at a grave disadvantage, with the boy staring at the field with narrowed eyes before finally making his move. "One card face down," he said clearly, holographic panel shimmering into existence beside the revealed Lightforce Sword. "And that's all!" Defense monsters and face down cards...

Hnhnhnhnhn... Of course that was all. "Keep running like that and the three turns you saved yourself will pass by in an instant," she chuckled, eyes narrowed in mirth. Of course she thought as her smirk widened, she wouldn't even need three turns if she played her cards right. And if she could defeat Yugi with enough speed... "Hnhnhnhnhn... My turn," Seto called out, a second monster card appearing at her side. "And my next card is the Y-Dragon Head in attack mode!" The holographic pterodactyl appeared before her from in front of the card, red-metal armor gleaming in the sun as her opponent paled. That look in his eyes... "Hnhnhnhn... I see you've already guessed what sort of monsters I'm summoning!" the woman called out, the energy of the duel more than enough to hold at least a somewhat positive mood through her being. "That fear in your eyes... You've guessed right, there's no doubt! Watch; as two of three magnet monsters fuse together! And the moment I summon the part of 'Z'," Seto continued, "They'll form the ultimate being. But until then!" she shouted with a grin, the monster at her side taking aim with both the cannons on 'X's' shoulders and the gaping mouth of 'Y', "The XY-Dragon Cannon takes aim..! READY ... ATTACK KURIBOH! HYPER DESTRUCTION!"

For a moment she almost thought she heard a scream when the monster died. A high pitched wail surpassing the pitch of the duel disks' sound system as the monster curled away in pain. In the end however she passed it off as nothing, instead studying her opponent's scowl with a smirk. "Gh... Kaiba," he hissed, absently rubbing his arm.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Scared, Yugi? I imagine you're counting down the three turns to the end right now aren't you," she continued, smirk widening. "But what if I told you I didn't have to wait? After all... The God Cards only choose the ultimate of duelists; so watch! I play the spell Voice of the Heavens!" Seto roared, pointing forward with a wicked grin. "Allowing me to take one of your most powerful monsters! All I need to do is say the name," she continued with a hissing laugh, "And it's mine... The name of 'God'... 'Saint Dragon Osiris'! SO, YUGI," she 'ordered', the boy tensing considerably more as he looked to his deck. "Pull out your God and give it to me!"

Yugi swallowed, still tense as he did just that. Card after card was fanned out while the deck sat upside down, the boy searching for the card... In the end Osiris was the third from the bottom, Yugi grudgingly walking forward with the card while his duel disk re-shuffled the deck. Well now...

"It was hidden deep within wasn't it?" she muttered almost dryly. "How unfortunate... It looks as though you wouldn't have drawn it in this duel after all. Not that it matters," the woman laughed, holding a hand out to take Osiris. "After all; the Gods listen only to me!"

"Actually," her opponent said with a smirk, "I think you should look back to my side of the field..." What... The grin fell, and as her eyes drifted over to where the face down card behind him had been activated she tensed. Oh _SHIT_! "Hnhnhn... You must have been thinking the same thing I was," Yugi continued, holding out his hand of cards. "That the moment Obelisk came free, I'd activate this card. But right now seemed like a better time; the spell Exchange," he continued with a grin. "So... I'll be keeping this," he went on, gesturing to the Osiris card in his hand. "And as for you... ...Pick a card," he chuckled as he waved the remaining ones forward. "Any card."

* * *

It took a few minutes for him to fully realize what it was that 'Kaseri' had told him. "You... Y' live w' Bakura?" he asked once again with wide eyes, Kaseri blinking as they stood to wait at another crosswalk.

"Of course," she responded, giving him an almost incredulous look. "Since I turned fifteen..." Fifteen...

Ah- that was the minimum age to own an apartment wasn't it? Provided there was guardian permission? So then why...

He shook his head, attempting to focus on walking while he thought of the questions. Alright. So she was staying in an apartment. In that case... "...Why Bakura?"

"It helps with the ring," she said somewhat bluntly, not even hesitating as she answered a text from her phone. The ring? Briefly the blond stopped moving before mentally nodding with understanding. Right.

It was probably a little harder to put that thing on when Kaseri was around huh. But. Well, not that they didn't care, but why would this one difference mean actually having someone mediate the mess? And...

The blond shook his head. Push it from mind, he told himself. It wasn't real... Just push it from mind. "Hey... ...Kouryuu?" he said after a moment of trying to clear his thoughts, the pair crossing the next street as the light changed. "Those three Blue-Eyes cards... Where did you get-"

"I already told you all 'where'," the woman answered flatly, only a slight hint of anger visible in her eyes. "I received them in an envelope on my birthday. There was no return address, and all I could find was a note that stated it to be 'repayment'. I..." There was a short pause, Kaseri turning away somewhat with distant eyes as she fingered what looked to be a small card sleeve around her neck. "...That's all there is to it," she eventually said, dropping the packet to cross her arms around her bag as she continued to walk. "Nothing more." Nothing...

Nothing more.

...Well obviously something weird happened here. "Righ'... Kay then..."

What he wouldn't bet that the card sleeve 'locket replacement' held those cards.

...New subject! "...Hey, Kouryuu?" he asked, Bakura's apartment complex already in view from where they stood. There was something he needed to know. Hell there were lots of things he just needed to know, but for this one... "...Why 'xactly did y' start hanging around w' us?" Katsuya asked, the pair walking through the building and up the stairs. "I mean... On a 'permanen' basis?" he added with quotes, attempting to hide the unease with a grin only for it to falter.

They were outside of the apartment now, and as Kaseri put the key in the door she'd frozen completely, not turning as she fell silent. When she did give her answer however, it was just a little...

Disturbing. "...'Darkness'," the woman muttered, narrowing her eyes. Darkness... Wait, what? As in the other Yugi? As in...

"'Yami'?"

There was a short, small nod but she still didn't turn away, merely turning the key in the lock to open the door. "I'm not proud of what I did to warrant his attention," she muttered lowly, slowly turning her attention back. "You understand that, don't you?" He...

Well... "'F course," he said without thinking, nonetheless meaning what he said as the woman fixed him with a somewhat suspicious stare. "You... ...Y'r talkin' about Jii-san's card?" he continued, attempting to hide his shock as best he could. "...Aren't y'?" When she'd apparently tried to take it right from under Yugi's nose...

But for her to do that... Hell...

She'd still tried that, even in this world? The woman nodded yet again, eyes growing dim as she walked into the apartment. "Come inside," she said quietly, still not looking back. "We can talk in the living room." Living room?

Oh yeah, Bakura had an 'LDK' apartment didn't he? It was a pretty big one for what he had...

Of course, he used the dining room for his Monster World kit last he recalled-

Or had that been the second bedroom he'd had here? He was assuming Kaseri used that now and-

...Well even so he said nothing, simply following the woman in and taking off his shoes. Over all it didn't look much different from Bakura's apartment in his own reality. Maybe a little 'brighter' (which felt weird some how), and there was obviously an extra pair of shoes and related to show there was another person there, but otherwise...

The only real sign was that the second bedroom actually had a bed in it, with the Monster World equipment moved to join with the rest in the dining room. Not to mention a fairly large amount of paper sketch piles in said second room, along with a computer, a small bookshelf... "Huh... Nice room," he muttered, slowly taking a seat on the side as Kaseri shut the door behind them.

"Yes... ...I suppose." A somewhat awkward silence hung on the air, and as Kaseri put her bag on the side it seemed almost like she didn't even plan to speak. "...Did you know?" she muttered almost softly in the end, evidently making the decision anyway. "I had a brother once?"

Had?

The woman took a seat at the desk chair, pulling out the plastic card-sleeve around her neck to open it up. "At the orphanage where I stayed until recently... I had a brother there," she whispered, Katsuya frowning. Alright, he knew the kid wasn't dead at least so...

"Y' mean... ...Mokuba?" he asked, Kaseri looking up in slight surprise to blink a small number of times.

"Ah... ...Yes. That was his... Name. That..." She sighed, opening the sleeve a little more as she pulled out three cards. "Mokuba... While we were at that orphanage, there was a rule," Kaseri explained, "Boys in one side, girls on the other, save for 'free time'. I wasn't able to protect him from anything that happened because of that," she said quietly. "So everyday, I would find myself hiding him from other boys he shared his room with and..." Kaseri cut off, pausing a moment more while her guest continued to frown. This...

...Just because she wasn't there, he... Things got that bad?

"In the end," she continued, "I spotted something on the television while we were playing chess. About KaibaCorp's CEO,"

"Kaiba Gozaburo," Katsuya whispered, shaking his head. And history came close to repeating... He blinked, catching a blank stare from the woman before rubbing his head. "Er... Sorry," he added with a cough, "Keep goin'..."

The woman continued to stare a few moments longer but nonetheless did so with a short nod. "Right... Kaiba Gozaburo had supposedly had a son at one point," Seri began. "When I found out that he had lost his life in a car accident a few years prior I wondered if Gozaburo would possibly be willing to adopt a child again. A home like that... There's no way it can be bad right?" she asked, sounding almost as though she expected an answer to it.

There was no answer to give however, and so the woman went on.

"So... When Gozaburo appeared at the orphanage, I made a bet with him. I could handle the orphanage. But for Mokuba's sake, I told Gozaburo 'If I win, you will adopt my brother, and raise him as your own.'"

"And y' won... Didn' you..."

She nodded. "Correct. It was difficult... I was almost tempted to cheat," she continued, brushing a bit of hair back with a smirk. "But I won. I helped my brother pack, and we spent one last day together. We walked around down town, visiting arcades, stores..." The woman leaned back against her chair, looking up at the ceiling almost wistfully. "Duel Monsters at that time was very new," she muttered, almost to herself. "So there were lots of posters advertising the powerful cards, and even the ones that no one would ever have. Blue-Eyes was one," Seri continued, fingering the cards in her hand. "We stared at that poster for so long... I..." She sighed, looking back down at the card's surface. "I made him a promise," she whispered with dull eyes. "That some day, I would get him that card. But in the end, it was impossible," the woman continued with a shrug. "I offered all I had to be rejected, and then tried to steal it out of some pathetic desperation... I..."

Katsuya swallowed, looking away somewhat. He knew what happened after that- After that match in the real world...

But the penalty game, what was it again? "...Kou... Kaseri," he said, the woman before him briefly staring in confusion as he continued on despite not bothering to address his overall annoyance at the different names. "...After tha' game... What did th' other- ...I mean, 'Yami'," he corrected with a slight wince, "Wha'd he..."

"The illusion of death," she whispered, pulling her arms close with a slight shudder. "For an entire evening, there was nothing but monsters attacking me. ...I spent a few days at Anzu-chan's shortly after while trying to explain what happened," Kaseri went on, shaking her head with a swallow. "And though she didn't believe me at the time... Well. It's likely the only reason why I can sleep even now. After all, something like that, even now I..." Wait...

Anzu's house? So then the other Yugi's penalty game actually worked this time? Katsuya rubbed his head, wincing before realizing that the woman had cut off. Ah-

"If... If y' don' wanna talk abou' it," he began with a slight wince, pushing the mental question of Kaseri knowing Anzu beforehand out of his mind, "I..."

She nodded, giving the blond a small smile. "It's fine, Jonouchi-kun. What 'Yami' did had nothing to do with you. But when I received these cards in the mail only to see news of one of their owner's suicide..." the woman went on, cards shaking in her hand, "Well...” It was with a deep breath that she pushed on, not looking directly at him. “I had to wonder. Why all three had come to me, without any explanation. And when I searched, what I found was pressured sales and tragedy. In the end I can't use cards that caused such a thing. Even if there's no proof...even if I can't confirm those deaths and incidents are related, I can't."

It wasn't too much unlike how she obtained them 'for real' if he thought about it. He could remember that after all- one was bought. One was taken after their holder was left with no financial choice. And the other couldn't even bear it after the fact, taking their life.

That was why then. Why she refused. But who sent her those cards then? Hell, _why_ , the only one he could think of here that knew was...

...Mokuba. But to imagine Mokuba inflicting the same pressures, to imagine Mokuba driving someone to their _death_ , well, why would he...

Hell, even in another life he couldn't imagine Mokuba-

Katsuya bit his lip, shaking it off and attempting to change the subject to something more positive. "Er... S... So?" he said after a short awkward moment, rubbing his neck. "What kinda food y' got here?"

Kaseri seemed to stare almost incredulously for a moment, as though having expected something far harsher in response. In the end however she merely smiled. "Bakura-kun isn't much for making anything beyond simple meals... At the moment you have the option of ramen noodles or leftover rice." Ramen or rice...

Well! Sounded good to him!

* * *

Bakura had arrived sometime between when he was about done the leftover rice and when he'd plowed through their leftover ramen. Ironically Bakura had gone grocery shopping, so he'd been pleasantly surprised to find his fridge cleaned out for whatever he was about to put inside. The rest of the evening passed fairly calmly as well; Bakura vanished off after he'd finished eating for an online Monster World campaign and, after a fairly blunt and almost rude check over concerning the ring, Kaseri had simply taken her sketch pad and sat back on the futon/bed in her own room. Having nothing else to do, he ended up following. This version of Seto...

She drew a lot he noted later on as he lay back on a borrowed futon in the living room. He hadn't seen too much of what was there of course, but a lot of the papers had things like dragons, Egyptian soldiers and workers, items however small... He supposed that a 'Seto' that hadn't been conditioned against anything supernatural would do that really. It certainly made sense, he thought with a yawn the next morning. All in all however...

Now that it was Saturday there wasn't much to do outside of Bakura doing whatever it was he did, and with Kaseri going to her part-time job for a few hours...

He ultimately followed, since she was more than capable of replacing thermal paste and graphics cards while talking, and her boss didn't particularly care so long as they didn't do anything stupid. "So... Th's 's where y' work?" he said idly, the woman currently poking around an old laptop with a frown that likely had nothing to do with his presence. It was just a simple maintenance place but...

There really weren't many people working compared to the number of computers hanging around to be fixed. "That's right," Kaseri said somewhat plainly, voice still a number of notches warmer than he was used to even with the slight annoyance at whatever she was fixing. "I've been fairly adept with computers for a while now; it's second nature really." Hoh... That was cool. Add that to the list of similarities he supposed.

"Guess tha' means you c'n always email Mokuba when y' wanna talk t' him," he supposed under his breath, before paling as he realized the woman had heard him. The look on her face in particular...

Well- given that it wasn't happy, it probably meant she didn't have said e-mail and... Well...

"ER- I mean..."

"It's fine," she responded flatly, before carefully screwing a small fan into place and putting the cover back on the device she was working on. "I haven't seen my brother in six years," she continued. "It's fine." Six...

Six years... That...

"...I used to pass by that house after school though," Kaseri continued later on, when they were walking back from the work building at the end of the day. "It was a bit of a short-cut from my middle school, so I would have a few minutes to stop there before and afterwards. I'd wait by the gate to see if maybe he would have to go somewhere and I could catch a glimpse but... ...Hahahahhh..." She sighed, a weak and almost broken smile on her face as she looked down somewhat to the blond beside her. "In the end, I received a bus-pas with enough money behind it to get me through college, along with strict orders not to come any where near the building. ...I tend to visit Bakura after work now," she continued with a distant tone. “At the museum. It...makes things easier, in a way.” E-

That... They actually threatened her to stay away? For that long! Idly he found his thoughts lingering on the mention of the museum, only for his sentiment to force its way back to the matter of Mokuba. After all, he'd assumed the two hadn't been in close quarters and contact but then...

When she said 'see', she didn't mean as in speaking to... She meant...

"Six years," he whispered, stopping for a moment beside the woman. "You haven' ev'n seen yer brother... F'r six years?" the blond rasped, barely able to comprehend his own words. For that long...

Kaseri merely looked to the shorter blond, adjusting the bag on her shoulders. "It doesn't matter," she told him somewhat quietly. "This doesn't concern you." 'Didn't concern him'...

Hahaha, as insistent as ever but...

He stopped walking, Kaseri making it about two steps forward before looking back in confusion. It was the middle of the sidewalk really. No big deal but... "...Kaseri," he said after a moment, the woman frowning lightly. "...We...probably oughta wait until later but... What 'f I told you... I could help y' see yer brother again?"

The look on her face was all the answer he needed.

* * *

The fact was she'd have to be a fool to think that her opponent wouldn't have found someway to make things somewhat more difficult for her. In all honesty it was what he did best, and probably why she was so driven to defeat him. (Though it would always be a challenge to defeat...)

' _I have to thank you,_ ' he'd said with a small smirk, almost waving the card in his hand as she frowned. ' _Osiris is in my hand now!_ ' And so it was...

But good luck to him in playing it; she would have Obelisk summoned in two more turns, and her Dragon Cannon would obliterate any chance of three tributes appearing on Yugi's side of the field. She had the numerical advantage over him, and that was that. More over... The card she'd taken from Yugi- 'Life Shaver'.

Well, with Osiris across from her that trap would make even God harmless! So... "I play Big Shield Guardna in defense mode!" her opponent announced upon reaching his end of the field again, the holographic warrior appearing behind his shield to guard the duelist. "Following that," he continued, "I play a face down card and end my turn!" More defense monsters and traps?

"Hn! Is defending yourself all you can do?" she sneered, narrowing her eyes. The still face down holograms were almost taunting. Not to mention pathetic, albeit a good shield against most. ...Of course... That was 'most', not her. "Really," Seto muttered. "At this rate I won't even need Obelisk to defeat you!" Not that it mattered of course! "My turn," the woman shouted, drawing her next card. After this, two turns left. And this card... "Hnhnhnhnhn..." Just what she needed. Exactly what she needed. In one turn, she'd have Obelisk... And even better, until then this new monster would allow her to unleash the Dragon Cannon's full power!

Get ready, she thought mentally, the smirk on her face growing.

God would crush him!

"Set a card face down," she stared, making sure she had the her first trap for if Osiris were to appear. "And now, I summon the Z-Metal Tank!" Seto announced, the holographic and one-eyed tank appearing in an instant. "And of course," she continued with a grin, each component of the device clanging and clashing together as sparks filled the air, "X-Y-Z fuse together... Forming the XYZ DRAGON CANNON! Now... I'll destroy your Guardna! XYZ HYPER CANNON!" she commanded, all weapons firing forward. "This match will be mine!" Powerful lasers, flames, and explosions filled the air from that side, completely eradicating the defending shield. The monster was destroyed. And now... "HnhnhnHAHAHA! Just one left!" she laughed. "Next turn I'll crush you out of existence completely!" And then-

And...

God. Fucking. _DAMN IT_ YUGI. She hated that smirk! HATED IT. And as his grew her own faded, one of his traps swinging upward in response to the blow. "Hehehe... You just love an easy target, don't you?" he chuckled with crossed arms, shaking his head. "I knew you wouldn't resist attacking my shield." Oh haha, rub it in Yugi. Stupid, smug little- (Why? Why did he always have to have 'just' the right card!) "You've given me a chance to win!" Yugi was continuing loudly, clicking the side of the duel disk. "Face down reveal! SOUL ROPE!" Oh come on! That one?

...And what she wouldn't bet that the monster he summoned would be something she'd been trying to prevent...

"I summon a four star monster in the place of my last one," her opponent was shouting, "At the cost of 1000 life points! And I choose the King's Knight," he went on, the holographic and bearded warrior appearing at his Queen's side. In response to the pair entering the field a third figure arose, a card spitting out of Yugi's deck. The knight trio's effect had kicked in...

Shit.

"You're not the only one who has monsters to help summon God to the field," the boy announced, the holograms gripping their swords tightly as the storm above again began to brew. "And with the King and Queen at my side I gain a third monster for sacrifice! The Jack's Knight! It's MY TURN!" Yugi roared, his opponent gritting her teeth as he announced the move. "AND I OFFER THREE SACRIFICES TO THE HEAVENS... SUMMONING THE DRAGON GOD FROM THE SKY, OSIRIS..!" Osiris...

A howling roar came over the air, and red scales peaked over the walls of the holographic coliseum, seeming to form individual and rolling hills. Up and down, up and down, and the dragon roared and snarled as storm clouds converged and lightning shot through the air. As its double jaw arose tall behind its summoner, dagger-like teeth bared and ready.

" **GRA** _ **AAAOOOOOOOOO**_ **!** " So loud... " **RAOO** _ **OOOOOOOOOO**_ **!** " Powerful... As the monster settled into its place in the sky the woman continued to stare, watching the jaws lock up in wait. " **GRRRNN** _ **NNNNnnnnn**_ **...** " The sound of breathing was even filling the air, audible even over the storm's thunder as though it were real...

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." And yet despite Osiris' summoning, she couldn't help but grin with anticipation, pushing the thoughts of awe aside with ease as she prepared her own move. Interesting, she told herself. So interesting. So he'd summoned God first then after all? Well...

"It looks like the tables have turned!" her opponent shouted toward her. "So much for defeating me!" Oh... She wouldn't say that.

"Hn! Take a look at your hand," she chuckled, her own smirk widening slightly. "You have three cards; only 3000 attack points."

"Only?" Yugi repeated with a smirk, completely confident in the power backing him. "Your Dragon Canon 'only' has 2800 points; I know for a fact that you wouldn't have missed that!" It was those words that almost caused the boy to trip up- as though he'd only just realized what it meant. And just to push it along, she'd voice it.

"Well..? Go on then," she taunted lowly, eyes narrowing to mere slits as she gestured to the field. "Try it. Attack my monster and destroy it... If you can." That seemed to freeze her opponent in place. His eyes abruptly widened, before narrowing once again to hone in on the face down card she'd set. Trap or spell, he likely wondered. Trap or spell or both? Silence... More silence... "What's wrong?" she asked, still smirking as her opponent grit his teeth. "Go on... ATTACK!" Osiris was oddly silent amid this she noted. Not even growls could be heard over the storm, and breathing had quieted completely, not that it mattered. And either way...

Regardless of if Yugi attacked, she wouldn't be stopped this turn. Her opponent's eyes widened. Osiris' jaw dropped and electrically charged flames began to develop, and in a split second the appropriate retaliation came to mind. "Tch... OSIRIS!" Yugi ordered, the enormous beast raising its head just slightly as the blast became blinding in form. "FIRE! THUNDER FORCE!"

"REVEAL TRAP," she countered, tapping the disk as her holographic card swung upward. “Interdimensional Matter Transporter!" she shouted, opponent paling. That was right. It _wasn't_ Life Shaver. Moreover she thought with a grin, her monster vanishing from sight as the transporter briefly appeared on the field to pull it from sight, that was the last move. "Hnhnhnhn... Too bad," Seto called out, the transporter slowly fading away in the light around them. "Thanks to this spell Osiris loses its target, and the attack is wasted! Pity," she taunted, her monster reappearing to the field as the holographic card dispersed completely. "Your turn was pointless!"

Despite this, that smirk was still there. "Hn... Not completely," her opponent responded with a competitive smirk, taking a card from his hand and nodding. "I play a card face down," the boy continued, "And end my turn!" End-

He was _playing_ a card, when it brought Osiris down to 2000! When she would have OBELISK in the next one? ' _Come on_ ,' her opponent was taunting in silence, the look on his face seeming to attempt at goading her into attack. ' _You tested me, now I'll test you... It's your turn..!_ ' Tch...

Say what he liked, she already had a plan! "Fine then," she decided, taking Obelisk from her hand as the holographic counterpart faded from existence. "Fine! Your lightforce sword is gone now anyways," she laughed, the storm growing even more vicious about them. "Which means your end is already here regardless! HAHAHAHAHAH!" Watch... "I'll show you GOD!" she roared, the storm seeming to increase still more in strength as the sound of roaring waves dividing and parting met her ears around the tower. "I sacrifice my XYZ Dragon Cannon," Seto announced, setting the God card on the field as lightning continued to crack and strike even the walls around them. "SUMMONING FORTH THE GOD OF THE DESERT AND STORM, THE SOLDIER OF THE OBELISK..." Her God card... 'The' God card, the one that would far surpass Osiris in this match. Now... "DESCEND TO MY DOMAIN AND FIGHT AT MY SIDE... BRING ME VICTORY!" she roared as the cloud continued to swirl, and as necrotic armor formed behind her "SHAKE THE HEAVENS AND EARTH WITH YOUR POWER..! COME FORTH..." Sutekh. 'Set'. " GOD-SOLDIER OF THE OBELISK!"

" **RAA** _ **AAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN**_ **!** "

Thunder heralded the monster's arrival, and her grin widened. Obelisk... Was bigger than last time, she realized in the back of her mind. He stood _behind_ the tower, with wings spread wide and arms crossed, his chest easily coming above the edge of the holographic coliseum. He stood at a height to match Osiris' length, lip-less mouth and eye-less sockets staring toward his opponent as the dragon screeched. Two Gods stood on the field. Two Gods...

"This is it," she said with a grin, the multitude of power in the air flooding her being, rushing through her veins and making it impossible to remain calm. "The clash of the Gods has come..! SO, YUGI," she continued, yet another thunderclap piercing the air, "PREPARE YOURSELF... MY GOD WILL DESTROY YOURS WITH EASE!"

And as her opponent stared and the storm converged, the Gods themselves seemed to agree; the battle had only just begun.

* * *

The situation that he and Anzu were in was an odd one, though that much was likely obvious to anyone around them. After all it was one thing for someone to say they were either possessed or 'a man in a woman's body' but...

Well, this brought it to an interesting level, and something neither of them could completely describe. For the moment Anzu was the one in control of the body. Whoever wasn't in control got to sit in the back of the mind, formless, as though they were half there- it couldn't even be called possessing the other, simply handing someone the reigns of the horse while sharing the same seat on a carriage. It made it easy to switch as well; like blinking. Switch, switch switch...

Easy. But not having a body to speak of for himself was an entirely separate matter. It was a scary thing to put it lightly, and even though this one wasn't his own it was at least a relief when he was in control of the sensations of touch taste and smell rather than nothing more than dull sight and hearing. It had been half an hour since Yugi had left with Kaiba, Malik noted. Anzu had chased him down, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him back screaming ' _WHY_!'...

Why? Was his memory so important that he would leave his best friend's bedside to fight? Were these battles really the only thing that mattered to him?

...Did he even care about what had happened to Jonouchi out there?

The boy had stiffened, but in the end forced his arm free from his friend's grasp.

' _...I'm not doing this for my memories, or to fight_ ,' he'd responded, looking to them both with nothing but honesty. _'I'm doing this to uphold a promise to a friend. Our ' Battle City ' isn't over yet... And we all have something we're reaching for_ ,' he continued quietly. ' _While I don't remember the past... I can still look forward to the future. Jonouchi will live,_ ' Yugi said flatly, leaving no room for argument had there even been one. ' _No matter what... He'll live_.' He'll live...

At the moment thunder had cracked outside, the clouds darkening the sky to the point where it looked more like a stormy evening than a storming 'early afternoon'. They'd been allowed to come into the room only minutes before despite this, after much begging on the part of Shizuka and to a more 'subtle' extent all those others around him. The door had opened, and seats were prepared, with the strict order given to not touch anything, not say anything too loudly...

They could only sit, stare, and if they felt up to the task look out the window at the somewhat distant holograms on the field of the tower. Jonouchi was a wreck. Otogi's description from before was nothing compared to the reality of the situation, and coming into the room had been a feat in itself as a result. It took all they could to respond an affirmative to the doctor's words. All they could not to simply stand and congest the doorway, staring at the limp form on the gurney.

His heart wouldn't beat. His blood wouldn't flow. But his brain was still firing all pistons so to speak, despite all of this. And in addition to that all minor injuries had already healed, including both the slits from the single trap his dark half had activated and the impressions from the 'Viser Des'.

' _It's incredible_ ,' Doctor Kuzushi had told them, going over Jonouchi's current state of being as they stared. ' _Despite the severity of his wounds, the only remaining injuries as of now are light burns across his back and the stab wound through his right side. And even these are healing at an alarming rate_ ,' she went on with visible disbelief, ' _As though they never existed to begin with. By the time he wakes up, assuming he does so..._ '

"Only the scar will remain," he muttered to himself with Anzu's body, the others turning in confusion.

"What was that," Honda asked. "The scar?" ...Right... Kuzushi didn't mention the 'healed' scar, only his current wounds so...

"Ah- It's nothing," Malik responded, shaking 'his' head as 'he' leaned against the wall. "Just thinking out loud. I-" Thunder clapped once again and as they looked up the lights began to flicker, each of those within tensing. The storm was getting worse. Even the 'plane' seemed to shiver against the wind, vibrating somewhat in the force. Until now, that had been the only worry but that was 'then', after all.

"Gh- The power's failing," Otogi hissed, gritting his teeth and looking up with wide eyes. "If that goes out, what will happen to..."

"We have enough back up power reserved for three hours," Mokuba said with a swallow, answering the question as the others turned. "So even if it goes out, they'll be alright." Right.

'They'. Not just Jonouchi. It was also Mai, Ryuzaki...

And Rishid...

"How much longer?" he found himself asking, Mokuba turning toward him as he continued on. "Before the helicopter arrives, I mean?"

The boy blinked, looking to the clock on the side. "...Two and a half hours," he said after a moment. "After this next match," he continued slowly, "There's a break to clear the field... But unlike the others, that one's only ten minutes," he added. "Not much time..." Which meant that if no one stopped his dark half before then... They'd all die. Regardless of time limits and rules, they would all die one way or another.

And there was nothing they could do about it.

"Damn it Jonouchi," Honda was whispering from the side, gripping the gurney rail as the depressing mood continued to sour and fester around them. "Wake up... You're missing Yugi... Our Yugi's match, so just wake up-!"

- _BROUWM!_

More thunder claps. They seemed louder this time, and the wind now rattled the 'plane' with enough force that the clock shook on the wall. And another clap through the air, and another, and-

"- _ **GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_ -"

And a roar.

The crowd turned, staring out the window. High above the tower, seeming to hover around the colliseum walls was-

...No. No he told himself, they weren't simply hovering... They were bigger this time, they were...

"How is that possible?" Anzu whispered, Malik again losing control despite being able to see what she did with ease. "The holograms can't possibly be that big," she repeated in horror, "They..."

Gods stood before them on this island. Osiris and 'Obelisk', the Gods, the dragon and warrior, the...

They had names, his mind corrected despite himself, blood draining from the body's face. Osiris and _Sutekh_ , the eternal rivals, the brothers, one killing the other, this entire battle would be one enormous-

"...Can we move the bed by the window?" Honda asked at that moment, Kuzushi looking up from the side of the room with a frown.

"Move the-"

He nodded, the others watching as Honda swallowed and continued. "He needs... ... _Wants_ to see this fight," the teen whispered, expression half dead as he looked to the doctor. "Please- let him watch."

The doctor seemed to stare, mouth hanging slightly open as she froze on her original words. "I... ..." Silence... And then finally she stood, moving the gurney and turning it with the machines to face the window as the others moved to the side and stared. "...I can't raise his body," she said quietly, the blond's face still 'staring' up to the ceiling in silence with the new positioning. "His wounds could reopen, or worse, it would simply kill him. But I can do this much," she continued, giving a slight nod to the group. "So..." So even this...

At that moment- it was probably just a fluke but he could swear...

The monitor made a 'beat' noise.

* * *

Most would ask him how he could stand and fight at this moment in time with all that had happened so far. How he could stand there while his best friend's heart refused to beat, while his lung was collapsed in its own blood. How he could fight with a growing smirk during moments of this battle, and focus on the strategies that he threw out to the field and his current opponent.

And he would answer that he had a promise to keep, above anything. After all they all had their secrets. When and if they said anything depended on both those around them and their own confidence on the matter.

' _I didn't want to say anything,_ ' his lighter half had told his friends, long ago, before anyone had truly been made aware of his presence. ' _Because I was scared… I was…_ '

Jonouchi did not fear the truth in the same way that Yugi had. Yugi had wanted friends more than anything; he was afraid that they would leave him out of fear or disgust of he himself, the spirit of the puzzle, the so-called 'pharaoh' of years before. Afraid that the wish he'd made would shatter, and things would go back to the way they had been before.

Jonouchi however, had feared the truth because of a promise. A promise he wanted to keep more than anything, treasuring their bond above even his own life. He did not want to be forced to break it simply because of this ability he could not control. He did not want a life where even a simple card game could spell his doom, where he could not join in with the game because of a freakish and highly unusual ability. But things had gotten out of hand, far far out of hand.

And in his final moments on the field, it seemed he'd realized that, caring no more about secrecy. But despite this…

' _Saw_ ,' he'd whispered, chocking blood onto the field. ' _I… Saw…_ '

Saw them dueling.

Saw _their_ duel.

_Jonouchi's predictions did not fail_!

He would survive. That much was certain!

And for that reason he told himself he would continue to fight, reaching the one who had done this to his friend.

...Even if it meant facing the Gods themselves in these dire times.

" **So we MEET at LAST young KING!** " a roaring voice called out, the 'other' Yugi looking up at Obelisk's form with a slight swallow as glowing eyes leered down. " **It has been LONG since I laid my EYES upon your FACE… You have CHANGED,** " he continued, the boy just now noting that what seemed to be a malice filled stare was in fact calm indifference, " **Though be it for BETTER or for WORSE,** " the giant decided, " **We will soon SEE… Only THEN will you pass your SECOND major TRIAL… Only THEN,** " Obelisk roared amid the thunder claps, " **Will you have EARNED my POWER…** "

" **But until THEN,** " Osiris countered, gleaming ivory teeth bared as he growled, snarling at the representation of his very murderer, " **PAYMENT for our PREVIOUS battle!** " the dragon announced. Previous battle?

The boy shook his head, deciding not to try and understand lest the duel grind to a halt. After all...

The Gods were arguing.

What point would there be in mere mortals to try and understand the reasoning behind it? Instead he told himself, it was time to focus on the current battle.

"Kaiba!" the boy announced, lightning and flames blazing from the second jaw of Osiris as the dragon's words came to mind. "Need I remind you… That by summoning Obelisk, you've activated Osiris' special ability..! GO!" he roared, the flames belting forward as Osiris snarled, "SPLIT HIS POWER IN TWO, AND EVEN THE PLAYING FIELD!"

" **With PLEASURE, Little KING! NOW, BROTHER,** " the God roared, fires already streaking across the air as Obelisk shouted in apparent 'shock', " **A TASTE OF WHAT YOU DID TO ME!** "

" **GH-** " the seared the shadows and clouds, filling the air with an eerie light as Obelisk ducked the attack only to be caught across the side. The scent of burning rotted flesh hit the air, and with narrowed 'eyes' the monster growled. " **YOU..!** "

" **HN! Next time,** " Osiris snorted, his opponent nursing a fallen wing with grinding teeth as his summoner stared across the field with narrowed eyes, " **I plan to aim LOWER…** "

…Lower? Whatever it was that they were talking about Obelisk chose to say nothing in response, merely clenching his fists in rage for a moment. " **Tch… We will see NEXT TURN,** " he hissed, standing straight yet again so as to stare his rival down. " **Your time is NUMBERED, OSIRIS..!** " True. Time was limited… (But what sort of battle did they-) Both Gods had even attack power right now; Osiris from his two cards and Obelisk from the '2000 point-summon attack'. However...

If they attacked, both Gods would be lost. Next turn, he'd draw a card, bringing Osiris' power up, but in the same manner, the effect he'd induced on Obelisk would vanish. Obelisk would return to full power… And he would then be a full thousand points above his monster.

Not good. But neither was foolish enough to attack either, and so the attack never came. "Tch… I put one card on the field," Kaiba announced, the holographic card appearing almost stone-like as it hovered in the air before her, stiffening and thickening in the air. "END TURN!" Alright.

That was it! "My turn then!" Yugi called out with a swallow as he drew a card, the dragon behind him raising his head and growling lowly. "Osiris' power rises by 1000 points-"

"And Obelisk's returns to full power!" Kaiba finished, the God inquestion re-growing his limb with a pained growl before leering at his opponent. Obelisk was now seemingly 'taller' than Osiris...

But while neither shrunk back things didn't look good with this imbalance. And that was almost just as troubling as the trap. He couldn't use any cards to defend himself- he was already behind in power as it was. Worse, that trap could very well be the 'life shaver' he feared, and who knew what Kaiba was thinking with that usual smirk on her face.

"Hnhnhnhnhn…" Particularly since he was more than obviously struggling to decide what to do, which simply increased his opponent's confidence. "You're on your final moments in front of 'Obelisk'," his opponent taunted, making no effort to hide her natural voice over the field. It wasn't as though anyone was watching. It wasn't as though anyone other than themselves and the maniac they were stuck dealing with really cared. Nonetheless they continued on, and for the sake of battle the banter increased. "Osiris can do nothing against Obelisk's full power," she was bragging, the grin widening beneath the power of her 'god'. "And those who think in the short term stand no chance! So… Anything else you plan to do?" the woman continued, Yugi merely narrowing his eyes in response. Hn…

…Not for now. He still had his own face down after all, not to mention this hand… But that was all he could do. And there was nothing he could do to add to that for this turn. So…

"No," he responded clearly, "I end my turn..!"

" **Let the BATTLE begin!** "

" **Reminds you of OLD TIMES, doesn't it, BROTHER?** "

"HN! Very well!" Kaiba roared, "HERE I COME… OBELISK ATTACKS," she announced, the go reaching forward with a thundering shout, "PULVERIZING OSIRIS..! GOD HAND CRUSHER!"

"Gh- REVEAL SPELL," Yugi called out, ducking under the force of Obelisks' fist smashing into Osiris' jaw above him. "POT OF GREED! Allowing me to draw two cards!" he continued, the dragon's teeth clamping down on his opponent's fist as the second opened up above his attacker's face.

" **Hn hnhnhn… WELL DONE, young KING!** " he rumbled almost humerously. Fires were already licking the sides of the open jaw's mouth, preparing for attack. " **NOW THEN! TASTE MY FIRES B-** "

"ATTACK!"

" **I THINK NOT!** " Obelisk roared, teeth ground sharp as his summoner countered as well.

"ACTIVATE TRAP! LIFE SHAVER!" Life shaver! Shit! "Try again Yugi," Kaiba snarled, pointing forward while the dragon before them hissed in annoyance. "I destroy one card in your hand! WE'RE EVEN NOW!"

Even! Four thousand against four thousand! " **HERE, BROTHER,** " Obelisk taunted, fist clenching within his opponent's mouth. " **You have something in your TEETH!** " Blood pooled to the ground in torrents as Obelisk ripped his fist through both jaws of the great dragon, Osiris moaning in pain. " **And NOW… To do as I INTENDED,** " he continued, slamming a fist into the ground as the dragon shook itself. " **Though the BATTLE CONTINUES,** " the giant announced, " **Our TIME has COME!** "

" **FATED to fight with no END... That is NOT your FATE! This BATTLE,** " Osiris continued, the expression on Kaiba's face telling him that she as well could hear their words, " **Has no NEED for GODS!** "

" **But you must REMEMBER,** " they chorused, " _ **IF NOT SLIGHTLY…**_ "

' _The events of another time…_ '

And as blinding light filled the air, he could swear he saw the Red Eyes Black Dragon again.

* * *

The walk was excruciating, at least for him.

“Way I figure, w' what I know he ought be outside just around when we get there,” he explained, Kaseri perhaps listening with only partial belief. It was that hope that kept her going. That hope that impossibly, impossibly he could actually find a way to catch that window of time for them to peer over the wall, peer without risk of forever damaging a connection that was already so frayed.

He felt ill, thinking of it. After all it was only a hunch. A hunch that Mokuba would still have the same horse-riding lessons, that the field would still be in the very yard he'd come to know in his own reality. It was just a hunch.

He just hoped it was right.

Standing outside the wall to the side of the Kaiba mansion, Katsuya couldn't help but notice that the woman beside him was both more different and more alike to her 'real' counter part than he'd initially thought. As for what those differences were...

Well for one no crossdressing, though that was a given. She spoke as a woman because she was one, and dressed as such. Though there was still a slight masculine flair to what she wore now, despite it being something like capris and a tank top. She wasn't as hesitant to show her emotions either... Though it was more like they were just more subtle rather than 'hidden'. A small smile could have been as important as a grin. Simply looking away could have equated to bursting into tears for all he knew. But despite this, they were there.

She didn't hide them. Because she trusted them. Because she'd made friends with everyone in this 'world'. She'd never had to experience the betrayal and abuse she had from Gozaburo in the real world, never had to deal with the scars from whatever had been done during those times. But that same strength she'd gained...

Had come at a horrible price. A price that now lay over this wall before them, lit just dimly by a soon to set sun. Katsuya didn't know how different the Mokuba of this world would be; for a while, he didn't know if he was even alive despite what the internet spat out for him to read. But in the end Gozaburo had adopted Mokuba, even if he left Seto behind. So in the end even though it was a hunch, they had to try. If he had his timing right, that version of Mokuba would have been presented Yuki, the horse that accompanied Kuma. If he had his timing right, it would mean that Mokuba had begun his lessons, and would likely be taking one right that moment.

Which meant that even though they couldn't get past the wall without getting shot by much more heavily armed guards they could at least watch from the wall before them to catch a glimpse of him riding past.

This 'Seto' was afraid right now. Afraid of if they would be caught, or that if her brother would see her he would simply hate her for what she'd done.

But she, like the real one, cared for Mokuba above everything. She needed to see him, more than anything.

So despite all their differences it was with that in mind that he was reaching a hand out for this fragment of his imagination, even if in the back of his mind he tried to remind himself that it didn't matter. And if she didn't come with now...

If she turned back now...

"...Kaseri?" he asked after a few moments of silence, the woman beside him still looking up the wall with somewhat wide eyes. "...Are y' ready? ...Are y' alrigh' w' this..?" There was silence for a moment.

But 'Kaseri' did indeed have Seto's courage, even if it was displayed with somewhat wide and life filled eyes that almost reminded him of another person entirely. "I'm ready," she said curtly, looking back down to the blond beside her and then looking back to the wall with a determined frown. "...Let's go."

Katsuya nodded, smiling somewhat. "Alrigh'. I'm gonna help y' up firs'," he told the woman as he cracked his knuckles, "But y' gotta lis'n carefully, got it? I'm gonna give y' a boost," the blond explained, Kaseri listening in silence, "And y' need t' keep as close t' th' wall top as possible. Righ' now," he continued, "We're righ' b'hind th' trees b'tween th' two halves of th' backyard. At th's time 'f th' day, it'll give us enough cover t' avoid d'tection... So long as we keep low, understand?" he finished, sounding oddly intelligent compared to normal.

Again the woman nodded, putting her bag at the side. Even in this world, 'Kaseri' was obviously not the type to take orders; but she at least knew when it was best to listen. "Understood," she answered, looking back to her friend. "Now..."

Katsuya held out a hand for the woman to step on, Seri gripping the wall and quickly 'climbing' upward as she was given a quick boost to the top. As instructed she was laying flat across the top, shuffling to the side to make room. A few moments later and Katsuya had made his own way up, keeping beside the woman. "...So..."

"Follow me," the blond whispered, gesturing toward where a number of trees hung over the side of the wall with a careful and hidden wave. "We'll be better hidden over there..." Seri nodded, slowly 'seal crawling' behind her friend until they were at that very location. Just enough that they could see the stables…

Just enough that someone would have to look directly at them to see…

Katsuya bit his lip as they were met with empty air, the woman beside him merely looking around somewhat curiously. Nothing. There was nothing…

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "I'd thought-"

"What's that sound?" Seri whispered abruptly, cutting the blond's words shout with narrowed eyes. "It's almost like-" Like...

Hoofbeats.

A snow white horse came into view over the field, jumping a set of fencing with ease as its rider stood somewhat off the saddle. "WONDERFUL!" came a somewhat aged man's voice, Katsuya wincing as a chilling amount of cheer that he'd have never expected to hear came through it. "Wonderful Mokuba," the voice repeated, the horse trotting over at the sound. "You're learning so quickly..!" Wait...

Mokuba!

The horse slowed to a stop, the twelve year old on the saddle pulling off his helmet to free a bit of his long black hair as Gozaburo approached from the side. "Ah… Thank-you Tou-san!" he said with a grin, those far off at the fence merely staring with mixed reactions. "It's only because of the lessons though; without it," he continued politely, "I'd never have made it this far!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn… Well, regardless of lessons, you're doing amazingly well!" the man complimented, helping his 'son' down from the horse as another wave of nausea struck the blond witness on the side. "If you can get the rest of your university courses done quickly in time," he went on, "I might even be able to take you somewhere special…"

"Special?" he asked.

"Ah- you have to finish your classes first," the man countered sternly, a hand placed on his 'son's shoulder as he guided him away from the horse. "I can tell you that it begins with a 'D' however, and-"

“Doitsu?" Mokuba guessed, his 'father' turning at the sound. "Deutschland? We're going to Germany again?"

"I thought I told you classes first," he growled, Katsuya idly noting that there was little to no malice in the tone. Mokuba merely grinned, grabbing the reigns from his horse. "Hehehe... Right away Tou-san!" 'Tousan'...

This…

Though he himself had a stone look upon his face in response to the almost insulting image that spat in the face of his 'reality', Kaseri was merely staring with a somewhat relieved if not teary smile, watching as Gozaburo left the field to leave Mokuba on his own.

"He looks so happy," Kaseri whispered, the two looking at the boy with now neatly brushed hair as he made to lead his horse back to the stables. "I… I always wondered how he was doing," she continued, "And what had happened but… He's happy... He's really..."

It looked as though, with all that happened… Mokuba ended up conditioned enough to fill the void Noa did, Katsuya noted almost coldly. Gozaburo was no different than from when Noa had gone if anything. In fact this version of Mokuba was, if at all different from the Noa of that time, likely just more willing to dirty his hands rather than traumatized.

And just because they looked nothing alike, his mind told him. Just because he'd been younger than Noa had been when he started his schooling, and therefore a completely clean slate to work with. He felt sick he thought to himself, eyes growing dull as he stared at the boy below the wall. He felt…

"Ah- Hang on?" Mokuba called out abruptly, the stable hand helping him tensing as the shout entered the air. "Who is that?" Who was...

Crap. The two on the wall tensed, both the stable hand and the nearest guard reacting as soon as Mokuba's eyes turned on them to reveal their location.

"GH- What th'-," Kaseri's shout was quickly cut off as she was pulled up on the wall, her arm having been quickly snatched up by the blond beside her. "What are you-!"

"RUN," he called out in panic, the woman at his side growing pale as a bullet was fired beside her shoulder. "RUN FOR IT!"

"A-AHH!"

The fence was probably about two meters tall. Nothing to really worry about when jumping down. Nonetheless as they landed on their feet it took a few seconds to get running off again down a nearby street, particularly since there were probably guards on their tail and one of them was still stumbling and hesitating and trying to talk. "J- Jonouchi-kun!" Kaseri repeated in protest, "What-"

"JUS' RUN FOR IT," he called out again in panic, turning the next corner as the pair quickly attempted to out run their pursuers. "RUN!"

"RUN?"

"THEY'RE GONNA KILL US F'R TRESPASSIN'!" He didn't care how dreams worked, he was dying in it and-

"Kil- ...Gh... Jonouchi-kun!" the woman protested, pulling her arm back with a scowl as they came near the side of a canal. "Those are just rubber bullets! They're completely non-fatal!" Ah…

Rubber? They were using... Rubber? The blond turned, blinking as they stood near the canal in the dying sunlight. "H... Hahaha... Really..?" Seri sighed, smiling somewhat.

"Really. ...Hahh... Jonouchi-kun… Why would Kaiba-san kill someone for trespassing?" she asked, Katsuya opting to hold back how absolutely bizarre it was to hear her say 'Kaiba-san' at all. "It's more trouble than it's worth! Just because he deals in arms," the woman continued, "Doesn't mean he's a ruthless killer!" Ah but that was what the public thought, but what about-

...Wait... …Wait, she...

She actually had a point, the blond realized blankly. Gozaburo could easily get more out of arresting an intruder than killing them, and even then… Back in the time of 'Noa', Gozaburo completely detached the matters of war from the matters of his home, unless it was directly work related. So with that logic…

Though the guards would be trained to use force, the first matter of attack would be the equivalent of riot control, taking down the intruder and bringing them in for questioning, not for killing them. So... With that in mind-

"Jonouchi-kun?" Kaseri asked, waving a hand in the blond's face as he blinked. "Are you alright?" Al-

Oh. He spaced out again he realized, nodding as he looked back to the woman. "Er... Yeah… Yeah," he repeated awkwardly, "I'm… Ah... Heh..." That was scary actually. But in the end... "Hehehe… HAH _AHAHAHA_!" D-Damn… Now that it was all over, that was pretty hilarious actually! "AHAHA! PHEW!" he shouted with a grin, collapsing on the side of the canal as Kaseri stared. "That was… Tha' was crazy," he chuckled, shaking his head. "That…"

"…Hahaha…" Katsuya paused, blinking at the slight chuckle beside him. "Yeah…" Laughing... It was weird, not hearing her laugh sarcastically but... "It was crazy, wasn't it?" Kaseri admitted, taking a seat beside the blond as he continued to stare. The woman smiled, looking decidedly more like her 'real' counterpart as she stared out at the canal with a dim look in her eyes. "Six years… …I always wondered what he'd look like now," she whispered, looking down at the water with the sad smile still in place. "He was always right there, just in reach, but I could never find out… …Katsuya," the woman finished, turning to the blond beside her. Katsuya blinked at the use of his name, staring as she continued. “Before... ...I mentioned that I tend to go by the museum after work, but...do you want to come with me?”

Ah... “Th' museum?” he repeated with yet another blink, slowly finding himself nod in reply. “Eh...sure. Sure, but wh'-”

“It's just something to do,” she insisted quickly, her eyes not meeting his. “That's all it is, neh? Ka.. ...Jonouchi-kun?”

For a moment he was quiet, as if unsure of just what to say. However as he stood, he watched as Kaseri's expression began to slowly stiffen with unease.

At least until he spoke. “...Katsuya's fine,” he found himself saying, the words thick in his throat. “It's... ...If y' wanna use that name...”

Kaseri was silent for a while longer, but as she stood as well a smile came to her face. “...Katsuya it is then,” she said quietly. “So...the museum?” The blond nodded, and with that they were on their way.

He felt lost despite knowing the route there from their location. The canal they'd run to was one located not too far behind the property, its massive fenced wall forever hiding the otherwise steep slope and narrow walk-way that would typically be exclusive to stray cats and commuting mopeds.

But he knew every inch of it, in another time. The path around the wall- the road that led away from it, with other similarly walled off properties nearby. And then the streets and subways that would bring them to the museum where once-upon-a-time Seto Kaiba had announced the Battle City Tournament.

That didn't exist here he supposed as they walked up the steps, the trip having passed primarily in awkward silence. Perhaps it was awkward only for him- it was hard to tell, with the way Seto herself kept glancing behind them occasionally, or looking at her phone. But it was biting at him, and with the pressure and confusion of the last number of hours weighing down on him he ultimately had to break it.

“So what sorta stuff they got on display here anyway?” he asked conversationally, trying his best to forget the matter of nightmare realities for now.

“Egypt,” was Kaseri's answer- one that he'd guessed, granted, but one that he felt the need to ask about anyway. “Bakura and I have actually been helping the other to set up some of the added displays that need to be prepared still,” she explained as they moved inside.

Other displays? “There's stuff that ain' ready yet?”

The woman nodded. “Mnh. Ruins from a village that date to roughly around the same time as the spotlight display,” she explained. “They think it might have been a massacre, or a ritual sacrifice...”

Katsuya's blood ran cold as she explained the display that he could even now remember clearly, the vision of a massive photograph pillar of corpses appearing in his mind. He could still remember the intensity of the room when he'd read what was there, and the quiet fear that clung even tighter once Bakura had revealed himself from behind him.

He almost remarked that it seemed strange. That Bakura would allow her anywhere near something that he seemed so...tense over, somehow. But then he remembered that the 'Other Bakura' was the one he'd encountered, and more importantly that the Other Bakura was the one whom Kaseri was keeping in check.

If the Other Bakura had any problems, he wouldn't be able to voice them.

“Here,” Kaseri remarked as they walked through the hall. Quietly, Katsuya felt as though they were being watched. As though there was someone else there, yet as he turned to look around him he couldn't seem to see anyone. It was odd...

He could have sworn... “Mnh- tablets..?”

It didn't matter anymore, did it.

Katsuya stared with wide eyes at the two tablets before him, the two stones he could remember Seto screaming in frustration over and remember Yugi and Anzu staring at with wonder. The tablets created by a 'Queen', as he'd read for himself not long after.

Tablets that still existed.

Kaseri seemed more surprised than he did, he noted. “Oh?” she remarked, stepping forward. “These must have only just been put up- we had a completely different display here before...” the woman remarked.

Now _that_ was something that surprised him. “It w's different?” he questioned.

“Mnnh. Mostly a display of the Queen Settre's funerary posessions,” Kaseri confirmed, Katsuya doing everything he could not to choke on the spot.

Focus, he decided instead. Focus. This was Kaseri's first time seeing these tablets then. The first time seeing the depiction of the God Cards, and more importantly...

His eyes drifted toward the scene of the Priest and the former Pharaoh, and as he moved he found himself reaching for his friend's hand- quietly quashing the shouting in his gut when she did not turn it away. Hand in hand they soon stood, the blond leading her the two steps to the side that would bring them directly before the tablet with the Queen's lament.

And hand in hand they looked to its image, as Katsuya finally realized why he had felt they were being watched.

“...That's... ...Yugi,” Kaseri murmured with wonder, her fingers clamped around his own as he glanced to their witness in the corner of his eye.

Ishizu. Ishizu was there Katsuya realized with a heavy swallow, the Egyptian watching them both with what looked to almost be suspicion for a few moments. As Kaseri brushed a bit of hair behind her ear however she continued with words that changed the suspicion to shock.

And perhaps even awe, if he wasn't mistaken. “Look,” Kaseri noted. “The hair seems too like him. But that pendant he has...doesn't it look like Yugi's puzzle as well?”

Katsuya couldn't answer. He wanted to answer, but his thoughts were churning, blending, melting down further and further into mush. Kaseri's- Seto's- hand was in his. She had called him by his name, his first name, and officially chosen not to reign back on it even. Everything was wrong. So entirely wrong, the spirit who was likely depicted on this tablet left to suffer, and Kaseri herself distanced from her brother by politics and coercion and...

“It seems so sad,” she remarked.

And as Katsuya let her hand go, he watched the woman move closer to it. Watched, while dimly aware of Ishizu tapping something into a phone behind them. Watched, while his heart hammered in his chest and while the shouts of denial he wasn't hearing echoed in his ears.

“Commemorating this sort of thing...it feels as if she was trapped.”

She looked back in that moment. Looked back, and in that instant all he could think was _it wasn't her_. Even as she stood. Even as she stared... “....Katsuya?” she asked, and it took the blond a full second before he could even speak. “Before, at the canal...” Before he could even guess at what she was going to say, she trailed off and said something else entirely again. “Thank you.”

Th-

“...Heh?”  
  
“I said thank you. For joining me. But...more importantly for what you did, to help me see my brother again. It feels as if...I might actually be able to meet with him again one day,” she continued with a sad smile and a softer voice. “...So thank you.”

T...thank...She was thanking him, but...

But it was wrong, he wanted to say. It was wrong, all wrong, and all of a sudden he couldn't help but notice just how close she was standing to him in that moment. It was wrong, all of it.

Yet somehow he wasn't sure if he wanted to wake up yet.


	6. Red Soul

It was incredible, the power that two words could have. 'Thank you.' That was all she'd said. 'Thank you.'

And yet it had Katsuya's heart racing. It had his face flushed red and his eyes wide with confused and even horrified hesitancy as a dream-like, fragmented figment of imaginative representation of Seto Kaiba looked toward him.

Her eyes were closing over.

His as well he realized, swallowing nervously as his breathing became audible. In, out...

In, out, in, out in out in, and he could hear each one...

His heart was still racing.

_-b-dmp_

Or was that her heart that he could hear next to his?

_-b-dmp_

This was a dream, he tried to tell himself.

_-b-dmp_

It was nothing but a dream, nothing good would come of this if his eyes stayed closed.

_-B-DMP_

Just a dream!

_-B-DMP_

A dream, where everything had apparently been sacrificed just to get this woman to respond to-

_-B-DMP_

To...

_-B-DMP_

His eyes were closed.

_-B-DMP_

His breathing was slow and almost anticipatory, and as his eyes moved over her lips, he could swear that they were moving closer to his.

_-B-DMP_

Just a dream.

_**-B-DMP** _

Just a dream...

_**-B-DMP** _

Nothing more.

_**-B-DMP** _

Nothing less.

_**-B-DMP** _

Wake up he told himself.

**-B-DMP**

Wake up!

**-B-DMP**

WAKE...

**-B-DMP**

UP!

His heart was racing.

So was hers.

But it was all just a dream (was it really, someone whispered), it was just a dream (maybe you were dreaming until now), this world was twisted (but she loves you here), it wasn't right, it wasn't...

It wasn't...

It WASN'T!

_-b-dmp. B-Dmp. B-Dmp. B-Dmp. B-DmpB-DMPB-DMP_ _**B-DMPB-DMPB-DMPB** _

He wanted...

With a jolt, head still bowed he snapped his hand up and grabbed Kaseri's shoulders, pushing her back. His eyes flung open and he found himself staring at the ground, hair shadowing his face as he choked on his breaths. Just...

Just a dream...

Nothing more nothing less he told himself as Kaseri tensed, just a dream...

"Gh... What!"

Katsuya grit his teeth, shaking his head. "It ain' right," he muttered, shaking as he gripped the woman's shoulders tight. "It ain' right! This ain' you!"

"Not me?" The woman continued to stare, shaking her head. "Jonouchi-kun?" Kaseri muttered, half scowling and half confused as she looked at the bowed head before her. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"It ain' righ'," he repeated, looking up with almost crazed eyes. "Everythin's wrong here; you aren't who you are, Yugi isn' who he oughta be... An' th' Other Yugi's nothin' but a shadow! It's wrong!" the blond continued, backing away as he looked to her. He could feel the shadows of the room behind him. Feel the tension of the room that in another 'life' he would have followed someone into rather than stumbling toward. "I jus'... Damn it!" he roared, voice echoing through the room as he held his head, pulling at his hair and grinding his teeth. Katsuya's feet tripped over the barrier rope, and with a clatter he found himself on the floor in the dark. Rope around his ankles, poles upon the ground, and Kaseri standing in the light by the tablets. "I wanna WAKE UP damn it... I wanna wake _UP_!"

But he wasn't waking up.

He wasn't and as he breathed almost raggedly, hands clenching at the ground, Kaseri slowly came over to join him in the darkened display room.

"...What's wrong?" she said calmly, silence echoing through the chamber. "I'm not 'me'? What are you talking about?" Tch...

Great, he thought. In the corner of his eyes he could see the display of the blades and pottery found in the massacred village of centuries ago, and without raising his head he simply sighed. He'd gone from having a chance at a genuine kiss to being consoled by someone in a room created to display the terrors of murder. If he'd worried about the people in his dream finding him 'crazy' before, he was probably plenty on his way there.

This was just a dream; nothing more nothing less he told himself, but all the same he couldn't help but think it should matter. That the things he'd been doing should matter! But...

It was fake.

It was a dream, and maybe holding so tightly, focusing so hard on what could happen if he was wrong, was why he was stuck here to begin with.

So he would say it again. "I'm talkin' abou' everything," he muttered, not looking back to the woman beside him. "Th' real you... She'd as soon deck me in th' face before ev'n thinkin' of a kiss. Heck, she already did! An' the real you!" he continued, turning to the woman with a swallow, "Uses 'ore', and 'omae' and 'onore'... She wears suits an' coats an' pants, she stayed w' her brother, she didn' grow out her hair! Th' real you has three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in 'er deck that she got for herself, an' she USES 'm!" he went on with a rising voice, "She wants t' beat Yugi above anythin' in Duel, the 'other Yugi' in a duel, an' she... She..."

She probably hated him for what he'd done, Katsuya realized. But in the end...

That didn't change what he thought. "I love 'Kaiba Seto-chan'," the blond whispered at an almost inaudible tone. "Not 'Kouryuu Kaseri'. An' ev'n if she never feels th' same way... Ev'n if she hates me, an' never trusts me again," he forced out, Kaseri simply staring in silence, "That'll always be my answer. This world isn't real," Katsuya told her. "An' it ain' right. Dreams," he laughed, shaking his head. "They're dreams f'r a reason righ'? They have t' end... 'Cause they aren' real. So no matter what," he continued seriously. "No matter what it takes, I will never accept 'this' as reality. No matter how long it takes... I..."

Kaseri was still staring and for a moment a flash of worry came into his mind. Even with what he said after all, he still had to live with it until that moment where he was finally able to 'wake up'. What if that moment wasn't until the time where he went up against Malik's dark half again in this world? Or even afterwards? What if...

He never...

Kaseri was chuckling he realized, looking back to the woman with a frown. A wind was passing through the air and she was chuckling, and as Katsuya slowly looked up and stared the woman smiled with an almost cheshire-like grin. "Well done, Black One," she told him, eyes narrowing as colours seemed to bleed out from herself and from the scene, "That...is the correct choice." Wh...

What...

The scene shattered and without warning an almost collapsing sensation fell over him. The pillar, the swords, the walls and the people, all of them were gone, scattering into fragments on the wind and the woman before him seemed to shrink down as the colours continued to vanish to leave nothing but white. The only thing remaining in the blinding light was a pair of blue eyes...

And when the girl spoke again it sounded almost as though a dragon was singing at the back of her words, her form changing still as the wind blew his clothes in every direction. Hair lengthened and the face changed, the smile never altering. Colours continued to fade and soon enough there was nothing but white, white.

White, on a familiar face...

"Kisara?" he whispered in surprise as he stood, the name coming off his tongue before he even realized who or what he was talking about. "You're..."

Why was she here though? The girl smiled, bowing somewhat as almost comical wings stretched out from her back. "Correct," she said with a smile. "You broke the illusion faster than I thought, 'Black One'." Black one? What... "I underestimated you," she added, the blond coughing somewhat. Underest-

And hold on a second, this was 'Kaseri' a few seconds ago! "Wait wait... So... Then... I was abou' t' try an' kiss..." Kisara merely continued to smile as her guest sputtered, bringing a hand to his head as he groaned. "Auggggghhhh... What th' hell... What th' hell is this..." And 'black one'? What did that even mean...

Kisara chuckled, shaking her head. "Hah... You really don't know anything at all do you?" she asked, smiling almost sadly. The blond looked up, frowning as the girl moved closer. "Really. If I look like this," she continued, gesturing to the white dress she wore with the almost 'monstrous' appearance she'd taken, "You can't possibly remember who I was..." Who she was...

Besides a name and a face he didn't know, and with that Katsuya bit his lip, turning away. "I don'... Sorry kid..." He really was. But the fact was there was nothing but a name and a distant memory. To think though; it'd been so clear in the Virtual World!

But in the end, the memories he recalled having while _within_ that memory...

He hadn't really recalled them. He hadn't seen what happened, or heard what he'd said. He'd just known that he'd shared 'his' name, that he'd traveled far throughout those ancient lands with those two kids on his side...

And nothing else. Because it was just a dream...

But... Even so, he could have at least tried to remember who-

"That's alright," Kisara told him, smiling almost sadly as she caught the look on her guest's face. "It's a given really. Memories like these become strained over the years... And you waited a long time for this you know!" Had he now? The girl laughed somewhat, shaking her head. "You'll remember me someday," she decided with a confident nod. "And that's beside the point... You passed the test," the girl announced with a grin. "When offered life or death, heaven or reality, and even self versus other," she continued, "You picked your life. Your reality...and to focus on what was important to you. I could probably have done better on the illusion though," she admitted with a wince, Katsuya snorting in response.

"Hah! Jus' a little... Wasn' so much heaven as a nightmare," he muttered, crossing his arms with a slight scowl as the white girl scratched her 'ear'.

"True," Kisara admitted with a sigh. "But... Even though it was a flawed fantasy, it didn't stop you from considering it did it? If it meant helping the ones you 'knew' here,” the girl continued. “If it meant 'fixing' things here to keep what _was_ 'good'... ...You almost said 'yes', didn't you?" she noted, tone abruptly taking a far more chilling ring to it. “For a while...you were content to make your way forward with what was there, weren't you?”

The blond froze, words caught in his throat as he looked back to the smiling girl. Almost...

...That was right, he realized as a chill passed through him. More than once even, he'd considered whether that was 'it'. Whether the 'dream' world was the world he would be stuck living in. More than even that, he'd had those thoughts when talking to the others- talking to Kaseri of course, who could have had the chance to see her brother again. But for the other Yugi as well, stuck in the shadows- and perhaps even for Ishizu, her presence at the museum of his mind still leaving him to wonder just what 'Seto Kaiba's absence meant for the state of the Ishtar family in that realm.

Right up until the last minute- right until he'd realized what the cling could have been causing- he had almost said _yes._ But then did...

Did that mean...

He would have _died_?

" **CORRECT, young one of the ANICENT line...** "

Katsuya stiffened as still more light filled the air, dyeing the scene with gold as 'Ra's voice echoed about the air. 'Correct'? As the blond turned, squinting in the light he found himself stepping back under the monster's presence, even when it had yet to appear in his sights.

" **You would INDEED have PASSED ON should the wrong choice have been MADE... HOWEVER** ," Ra continued, still failing to appear as he spoke, " **You have PASSED nonetheless... If you are so WILLING to IDENTIFY the necessities of REALITY ... As one who has SURPASSED the ILLUSION of a peaceful LIFE, even if a LIFE with STRUGGLES to initially CONQUER,** " he continued, gleaming eyes slowly appearing through the glare, " **You are UNDOUBTEDLY deserving of REWARD...** " Re...

"R'ward?" he repeated, choking somewhat. H-Hell... All he'd done was get fed up with the illusion in the end, so how...

How did that come into 'you win a prize'?

" **You who bear the FACE of the ANCIENTS,** " Ra commanded, his voice pounding through Katsuya's ears. " **KNOW that when this ENDS, you shall be HEALED,** ” he told the blond, Katsuya blinking incredulously as the God spoke. “ **Though the SCARS of your BATTLES shall REMAIN, I shall not HINDER you with the SUFFERING SUSTAINED...But YOUNG ONE with the ANCIENT BLOOD...Do you UNDERSTAND the GRAVITY of this VISION you held?** " Vision? And the gravity of it..? It was a dream, a nightmare a...

There was a point?

…

"...No," he admitted, bowing his head with a whisper. "I don'..." He...

Tch. Watch. He'll have just failed again like the idiot he was, rather than picking something he should have paid attention to from the mess. He'd die anyways...

Evidently that wasn't the case. " **I did not think you would,** " the God said lowly, an almost ghostly vision of the monster appearing before him as Ra alighted on the 'ground'. " **But in TIME,** " he whispered, " **In TIME, when you need it MOST...And OVER TIME, as the SOULS around you REVEAL their IMPORTANCE... You will REALIZE that this CHALLENGE MORE than a matter of PREFERENCE, and of LIFE and DEATH! IT IS A MATTER OF YOUR VERY FUTURE!** " the god roared severely, " **OF YOUR PAST... And as of NOW,** " he rumbled, the sounds of an explosion seeming to pass through the air as he spoke, " **Of the very SOUL and MEMORY of those CLOSE...** " The souls and memories...

Wait...Wh-

"Th's... Th's is abou' th' other's souls?” he asked incredulously, eyes widening. "What... What th' hell do you mean by that?" Katsuya roared. With something like this... "If it's somethin' like tha', it's important now isn' it!"

Ra did not answer this question, merely shaking his head and continuing to look down at the boy from far above. " **Your TIME is SHORT,** " he said flatly, Katsuya's scowl slowly falling flat to replace itself with shock. " **We can hold you here NO LONGER... HOWEVER,** " he continued, bowing his head.

"...Your body is not ready yet," Kisara finished bluntly, the teen across from her staring in confusion. Not...

Not ready?

The girl nodded, as though having heard his thoughts before answering. "Your wounds still haven't healed... If we return you to your body," she warned, "You'll die." He...

He'd die? "N... No way, jus' like tha'?" he asked nervously, coughing as he took a step back. "I'd be dead?" After all that... From his own damn sword! "But... What th' hell..." They...

Because he'd broken the illusion too soon, he was going to die? " **SUCH is the COST of SHADOWS,** " Ra responded, wide and golden wings spread before him. The monster again shook his head however, standing on his hind legs to motion downward with one of his forelimbs. " **Do not FEAR ANCIENT,** " the god commanded, Katsuya frowning as the monster went on. " **Though we can no longer HOLD you within your MIND,** " he continued, " **There is yet ANOTHER option...** "

"And that," the white girl beneath him continued, "Is the option we will now take." Well, if it kept him alive he supposed, but...

Well. "...An' that option is?"

" **A GIFT,** " the God roared, pulling Katsuya's attention back upward. " **You may SHARE your ABILITY, VISIT with ONE OTHER, if only for a MOMENT in TIME... UNTIL YOU AWAKEN,** " he finished, wings closing over the blond to shroud his vision in darkness. " **We will GRANT you this MUCH...** " This much..? But wait...

"W-Wh-... Wait!" he shouted, somehow finding his voice again. "What!"

What was 'this much'? There was no answer from the beings, the pair instead fading from sight with those words. And mere moments afterwards he found himself falling forward through the sky with only a short word in the back of his mind giving him any clarity on the situation that he'd abruptly been thrust into, the white vanishing to replace itself with the clouds of the atmosphere as he found himself screaming.

'Ghost.'

Hahaha. _Ghost_. Hah. (How was that any better than dead!)

There was no answer of course, save his own screams.

But in the end even those had to stop and with a light swallow he continued to watch as the ground came closer. Well, he thought with a pale and notably uneasy shudder.

Wasn't this just pleasant.

* * *

It was taking just a bit of effort not to scream as the light filled the air around them. As the destruction wrought between Osiris and Obelisk exploded between the two, their words echoing in her mind while the entire arena collapsed from beneath her feet. But holograms didn't speak she tried to tell herself, eyes wide as she felt herself tumble forward through the air in the blinding light. They didn't speak, nor did they make things real or...

Or...

Yugi's puzzle was drawing her attention, the pair seemingly flying through darkness with no source of direction. It was emanating a blinding, golden light and throughout this the storm clouds began to spiral around them as they fell. Lightning struck the ground and from the center of the vortex they were seemingly thrown from was nothing but empty space, a void, a black hole from which nothing came and went.

The amount of time that she had to ponder this however was minimal; just seconds later she slammed against the ground, a loud shout escaping her lungs as her face smacked against solid ground before she pushed herself up. Darkness met her vision. Nothing but darkness and shadows, and yet as she looked forward across the sanded and ruined scene her vision slowly began to adjust.

This place...

"Where is this?" she found herself muttering, eyes narrowed as a scene almost familiar to an age old dream came into view. Sand. There was nothing but sand around them, sand, fires, and the ruins of a kingdom long buried beneath the ground.

And then a stone floor came to view from the blowing shadows in her eyes. The collapsed ruin of a temple, the roof long since destroyed in whatever catastrophe came over this place, with only half the pillars standing tall at the sides while the others lay in pieces. But the people standing on it... And the carvings on the walls, which bore inscriptions her mind could dimly recall reading...

"That... That's... Me," she heard Yugi whisper, the boy's eyes widening as three figures came into view across from them, the shortest barely identified by a familiar silhouette of hair. "And fighting him..."

" _Hnhnhnhnhnhn... The Black Lands of the North have fallen into ruin, 'King'_ ," she heard the tallest of the three taunt, a shadowed figure in flames behind 'him' as what looked to be a more tanned and regal form of her rival ground his teeth.

Her vision cleared more. Gold and cloth came into view, and shadowed eyes wide with madness met her gaze, a grin on the one with a broken mask behind the figure. This person... "Impossible," she hissed, eyes widening briefly as she looked upon the one who was not a man but a woman so familiarly in disguise. Impossible. The same as from her dream, the so-called 'Pharaoh' representing her rival, the 'Priest' with her face, the monstrous man whom the 'Priest' fought in the dreams but... Why?

WHY!

" _Set,_ " the 'other Yugi', the 'Fake Yugi' rasped, puzzle hanging around a grime covered neck that matched the rest of the body in its coating of dust and blood. " _Please... Open your eyes_ ," he seemed to beg, both of those watching rendered silent with confusion and shock both as he reached out a hand. " _You don't want to do this Set... You don't want to do this!_ "

The Priest merely continued to grin.

" _Hn! Pathetic_ ," she responded, voice well hidden as she fingered the blade in her hands. " _You're nothing more than a broken King,_ " the woman laughed, " _Reduced to begging in the same manner of a mere 'dog'... The High Priest has taken your land,_ " she chuckled, still running a finger along the side of the dagger, " _Conquering the powers of Heaven and Earth combined... Your Millennium Items are gone, and your so-called 'Divine Right' is WORTHLESS... AND I,_ " 'Set' cackled, continuing to grin as the others stared in horror and shock, " _AM ALSO YOUR ENEMY... From now and FOREVER_ ," she snarled, charging forward, " _All I need is to defeat you with my hands... DIE, PHARAOH!_ "

" _Gh..!_ " The King barely managed to dodge the blow, rolling away before gripping the cord around his puzzle. With one hand forward he looked to the priest with both fear and regret, before opening his mouth to shout. " _MAHAAD_!" Mahaad?

But that name...

With a whirl of shadows a figure appeared, and through it she heard a voice; " _BACK AWAY, CORRUPTED PRIEST!_ "

From nothing but stone a monster appeared, garbed in the robes of the Dark Magician as he stood upon the rock. Wand held forward he blocked the next strike from the dagger their attacker held, throwing their opponent back and against a tablet that stood far to the side. But on the image of the tablet...

" _Set, PLEASE!_ " the Pharaoh shouted, weak eyes narrowed in a mixture of rage and despair both as he gripped a broken pillar for support. " _Please... You came to my aid against the king of thieves... You helped me in my battle against Akhnaden, so why do you side with him now!_ "

At this the Priest seemed to freeze, a snarl coming over her face as she stood beside the tablet. " _Side with... Him? AKHNADEN?!_ " she roared, pulling herself up to lean against the tablet for support. " _I would rather DIE, 'KING'... But know THIS!_ " the woman continued, " _This will be our last fight..! And with the power of this dragon at my side, I will destroy you,_ " the Priest announced. " _And this darkness,_ " she continued, running forward as a white smoke pulled forth from her side to form a mighty and draconic beast, " _Will be the next to follow! NOW! WHITE DRAGON,_ " Set commanded, running forward with the monster. " _ATTACK!_ "

" _Gh... Damn it.. ...'DARK MAGICIAN'!_ " the Pharaoh countered, the magician in question biting his lip as the enormous and gleaming monster shot forth from her stone with a roar. " _FIGHT!_ "

With a nod the monster charged, ducking around the first strike from the attacking Priest to again block with the staff. Set was thrown back but she charged again, and in response, so did he...

" _HAAAAAAHHHHHHH..!_ " And in the clashing light that filled the air as a result they could only see one last thing. The dragon as it gathered a blast of flames in its mouth. The magician as he pointed his staff forward, a cry of both rage and regret filling the air as he took aim at the priest that charged for a fatal blow. And then...

The tablet.

That stupid, giant stone tablet haunting recent dreams and nightmares with the puzzle in the centre and the monsters rising forth from stone. The hieroglyphs that she could read and yet not read, the carvings blurred in her mind as she began to loose sight of her surroundings, with words long forgotten remaining unclear. As darkness cloaked her vision, her body, her mind...

"Impossible," she repeated to herself, shaking her head as she gripped it tightly in her hands. "IMPOSSIBLE... This isn't-!" What did this mean? What was going on, what did it all mean! She'd had enough of this... Enough of this business with Ancient Egypt, with 'Fate', with everything! She wanted it to end, for it to at least make a fragment of sense! There was no answer though, as she continued to scream within her mind.

Only darkness.

* * *

What was this scene he asked himself with wide eyes, unable to fully comprehend what he saw. Was it an illusion? Or a memory from his past? When the Dark Magician was summoned, he'd thought he heard a name... But in the end though the 'King's mouth moved nothing came out, not even a whisper.

The monsters shot forth from ground and stone, acting as real as possible, moving as though made of flesh and bone rather than the shadows of another realm. But the regret filling the air...

The despair...

Even from the attacking Priest actions were twisted, her motives distorted by an invisible force. 'Her' eyes, assuming the Priest and Kaiba herself were the same in that respect, had been shadowed when he finally saw them. Though they widened and closed with rage and emotion the colour had dulled, and though the shadowed High Priest- the one named 'Akhnaden'- seemed to growl at the mention of disloyalty, he held for the most part a frightening and leering grin beneath the shattered mask he wore, watching the event with nothing but maddened glee.

This battle was supposed to repeat itself though wasn't it he asked himself. A destined battle, waiting thousands of years to occur. And he was sure of it... He was sure it was real, sure that it had happened at one point!

But why did he see nothing but darkness right now, instead of the answer to this battle, instead of the conclusion to the strike Blue-Eyes prepared to fire. Why did he see...

"R _rrrrrrnnnnnnn..._ "

Red eyes.

A pair of gleaming red eyes, opening and blinking in the darkness. Yugi's eyes widened as a dragon melted out from the shadows, wrapping the boy in waves of a liquid blackness to 'lift' him from the ground. "R _rrrrnnnnn... Nnnnnnn._.." All it was doing at this moment was breathing he noted with a swallow, the head materializing around the eyes to bow forward. But why? Why was it...

_'There's more you need to know,'_ he thought he heard someone whisper. ' _Look again; there's more to this tale that you need to know._ '

...What?

Shadows and red eyes melted away, and Blue-Eyes fired the blast of white flames with a snarl. But rather than strike the Magician or even the past incarnation of his own self, they took aim at a different target, resulting in just as much shock from the one watching as those in the battle itself.

The Priest.

"G-GGH _HHHHHAAAAAAAAAHHH_!" Screams filled the air... From both the shadow behind them and the woman to the front, and as the fires sank deep within the woman's body the dragon soon began to fade out of existence. The magician at his previous self's side stared with wide-eyed horror, and the Pharaoh himself merely gripped a small bleeding wound he'd sustained from the dagger 'Set' still carried in her hands.

The dagger that was still held above the boy in an attempt to attack even as the priest gripped her head in the same moment. " _HHHHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHGGGG_!"

" _S... Set!_ " the Pharaoh cried in panic. " _SE-_ "

At last the blade came down but rather than striking the boy before her it sank deep into her own arm, the Priest breathing raggedly as blood trickled from the wound. She wouldn't be able to move it properly after this. Lift maybe, but if she tired anything else it would fail, likely for the rest of her life. That didn't matter right now however, as the colour returned to her eyes.

It didn't matter, and as her now narrowed and severe gaze moved back to her King she grit her teeth. " _Gh... Flee,_ " she hissed, fires blazing around them as the shadowed figure collapsed into dust. " _Khemet is lost... And we. Must. Flee..._ ”

Flee...

A whirl of shadows and of darkness, and Yugi closed his eyes for only a moment. Scraps of red flew along the sides within the blaze and suddenly there was nothing but light filling his vision as he looked again. Light, screams, roars and snarls, the sounds of dragons across the air...

And amidst the chaos Yugi's eyes widened, a strong and clear voice pinpointed from the mess.

" _ **REMEMBER THESE WORDS!**_ " he heard 'himself' cry, his figure barely visible through the blazing light as he held his puzzle forward. " _ **FOR THIS IS THE NAME OF THE ONE WHO SEALED YOU..! AND THE NAME OF THE ONE WHO DEFEATED YOU IS... Is... - - -..!**_ "

What was that?

The light cleared and another vision came into being. The priest, arm still bleeding but recently bandaged, running forward from the rubble of the sanded desert, cliffs that he could swear he'd seen before surrounding the pair. She stumbled...

And looking forward, both watched as the Pharaoh collapsed from ahead of them, the puzzle slowly crumbling into pieces around his neck. " _Pharaoh... Pharaoh!_ " she called out, running forward again with her limp arm gripped tight. " _-..!_ " Again...

He missed the name again, so what was...

The woman came to the collapsed boy's side, eyes wide as she slowly rolled him onto his back. All of the ferocity he'd seen in his own expression was gone, along with most of the emotion. These eyes...

They were almost like Yugi's eyes even...

And as the boy looked forward he frowned somewhat, speaking with barely more than a whisper.

" _...Who are you?_ "

The Priest stared with wide and incredulous eyes with those words, before bowing her head.

She... She was crying, Yugi realized coldly. Not loudly, not hysterically, merely quietly, with no words to say as she shook. In the end however she merely continued to let the boy lay in her arms, biting her lip as she answered his question. " _I am... The High Priest, Set,_ " she whispered hoarsely, grip on the boy tightening. " _Wielder of the Millennium Rod in the court of the Pharaoh..._ "

" _...The Pharaoh?_ " he asked, eyes closing over slightly with confusion.

Set seemed to stiffen, nonetheless nodding as her eyes became shadowed behind her hair. " _You, remember?_ " the woman asked. " _You... You are the king of this land,_ " she whispered, biting her lip until blood began to peek through the cuts that resulted. " _A great... And powerful king..._ " ...She admitted this? And moreover...

" _..Really?_ " Why didn't his past self remember this anymore? The priest seemed to know; she was looking to her king almost pitifully, as though she knew what would come next. As though she knew he was dying...

" _It's true,_ " she whispered to him, nodding slowly. " _... Really... A 'king of games', some would call you... 'The King of Strategies, and of Battles'... You..._ " The woman shook herself, choking over her words as her face twisted into a frown. " _You can't forget! Understand? You... ...There are many things you can't forget about yourself... You like onions,_ " she rambled, " _And beef, and turtles... Swimming in the nile... But all the Gods in the world wouldn't be able to convince you to drink milk,_ " she continued with an almost growling tone, " _Nor could they force even one seed of Mustard into your meal... And I... ...And I..._ "

Why couldn't she speak? Why couldn't...

"... _You can't die!_ " she demanded, clutching the boy's shoulder as he stared up dimly, the 'ghost' at the side continuing to stare in confusion. " _Understand me?_ " she roared, tears flowing freely in a mix of rage and misery both. " _You WON this battle, you CAN'T DIE, YOU..._ "

" _...Were we friends then?_ " the Pharaoh abruptly asked, Yugi's eyes dimming as the Priest froze. The answer...

Though the two were obviously close he had still seen these two as mirrors to himself and Kaiba, to himself and his 'rival'. Two endless rivals, fighting...

With one raging at the other for daring to leave before they could finish.

But the answer was hardly what he expected. For instead of continued rage it seemed that the Priest instead continued to crumble on herself, expression softening as tears continued to stain her cheeks. " _Of course,_ " she instead whispered, bowing her head further as the body grew cold. " _No matter what I say... No matter what I do,_ " the Priest continued, looking into the King's eyes with a swallow as the boy at the sidelines tilted his head in confusion. " _I will always be your friend. Remember that..._

_Remember..._

_Remem..._

_No matter what..!_

Without warning he was on his knees in the cold storming air of the Battle City tower, gasping for breath while his opponent did the same.

Staring at the ground with wide eyes, a hand brought to his throat as he attempted to calm himself, and as he attempted to regain his thoughts and comprehend just what he had seen and just what had happened. That vision...

That scene...

_Do you understand now_ , he thought he heard someone say, a low growl in the air behind it as someone laughed. _Do you understand?_

Understand? No...

Of course he didn't, how could he! The Gods were gone, their words faded on the air as they left both of their summoners to their final challenge. And in their wake the sky had almost cleared completely. The clouds were vanishing from the air, and the scene around and above the coliseum was slowly reverting to the sun filled state that the battle started off in. Not at all befitting of the situation he noted dully, and as the two looked across the field at each other there was naught but silence. Both players pulled themselves to their feet, staring at each other with shadowed eyes, their thoughts kept to themselves and kept in silence. Kaiba...

She hadn't seen that part of the vision had she, he realized with a swallow. Just the scene where she prepared to strike him down, for neither light nor darkness, with an expression nearly identical to what he could see now. The vision of the past life that fought for herself... Only herself, with only a fraction of motive breaking through the possession the Priest seemed to be under. It was a battle immortalized in stone. A battle that had been recorded by...

...By...

... _Who_ had carved that stone he wondered, looking across the field with narrowed eyes. Who was it? If 'he' had died that day, or come close to it...

Then who carved that stone? There was no way of knowing.

But in the end he told himself, there was still a battle to be had. A battle that could do nothing other than continue on.

* * *

There was no such thing as magic she repeated in her mind, constantly and endlessly. No such thing as magic the mantra continued, pounding against her skull with as much force as the lessons from years since past. Shadows did not become monsters, dragons did not exist, possession was impossible, and more importantly the switch between 'Yugi' and the 'Other Yugi' was just some bizarre case of DID that should have been looked at a fairly long time ago.

It was not, and never was, the switch between two completely different souls. But then how, her mind asked, do you explain the first time you fought him? How do you explain the shadowed realm that you disappeared within, the monsters that rose from the cards, the monsters who devoured your very flesh for every night following? How, her mind pressed, do you explain that coma you took to after your game, and the dreams that vanished from the moment you woke up?

How do you explain the 'soul cards' Pegasus had, the Millennium Rod and its control over Katsuya, the storms that arose in God's presence, and the movements that Blue Eyes gave when summoned to the field?

How would she explain the vision she saw the other night, how would she explain the hieroglyphs, the voices of Obelisk and Osiris, the wounds that appeared on Katsuya's body as he...

As he...

Seto grit her teeth, leering across the field at her opponent. Screw it she decided, clenching her fists. Screw the rules of reality and physics, screw everything she learned the damn 'illusion' was real! This Yugi was a 'ghost' and the other was his 'host', the stones depicted real events and this god forsaken duel had essentially been predicted by that moment in time. Like hell she would say it out loud... Like hell she would ever admit to it at all but it was real and it was there. But this battle...

Regardless of past or future it was clear. This battle was meant to happen, no matter what the circumstances... And regardless of how the 'vision' ended, she would _WIN_ , and finish this match as it should have long ago! "Tch..." The gods were gone now...

But this battle wouldn't need Gods! She would fight with her own methods, her own reasons.

Not for some stupid rock on display in a museum, not for some ghost of the past. She had to win; it was simple as that. And with that in mind she broke the silence that now settled over herself and her opponent.

"...We're right back to square one," she noted aloud, narrowing her eyes as she looked stiffly toward her opponent. "I hope you haven't become too distracted by those illusions," Seto continued, holding her disk ready as she took a card from her hand. "Because regardless of useless visions," she warned, "I intend to bring you crushing defeat! SO! It's still my turn," she announced, setting a card on the disk as a hologram appeared in response. No stonelike texture to the image, no strange weight beneath it...

'Normal'. Normal, she told herself.

"...The Gods might be gone," Seto muttered, smirking as she crossed her arms. "But I'm not done yet. I play one card face down... And I end my turn!" She needed nothing more after all.

Nothing more than the card in her hand right now. The one that would bring her victory...

The monster treasured more than the gods, her dragon...

"Hn! Alright," Yugi called out in response, drawing his next card with a curt nod. Briefly he appeared lost in thought as he stared over the field, but soon enough a card appeared before him and he made his move. "I summon Baphomet!" the boy announced, multi-limbed and white winged demon rising in the light with a snarl before hovering through the air with a leering grin. "And then I atta-"

Heh. "Activate trap," she announced, tapping the disk with a laugh as her opponent frowned. "CLONE REPRODUCTION! Just try and attack," Seto continued with a smirk, the trap's image soon sending out an exact duplicate of the monster across her as both holograms flexed and sneered. "All you'll do is clear the field again after all..." And then it would be square one yet again...

"Gh..." Her rival tensed, nonetheless taking another card and setting it on the duel disk in response. "Baphomet enters defense mode," he called out, the monster crouching in midair as another card appeared beside it. "And in addition I play one face down card... End turn!"

"A wise move," she responded, smirking darkly. "But now... I'm going to sacrifice this clone you see now. It's my turn again; and I draw," the woman continued, gesturing over the field before moving to grab her next card. "You've probably guessed that Blue-Eyes is in my hands," Seto chuckled, narrowing her eyes as her opponent did the same. "And you may believe that I can't summon it this turn... But thanks to this spell," she continued, the card coming down on the disk as a hologram of its image came to the field, "I'll be doing just that! Cost Down!" Seto roared, before putting her ultimate monster on the field and watching as the card shimmered into existence. "I offer the clone monster as sacrifice and with this spell even that is enough! LOOK CAREFULLY!" she called out, smoke seemingly furling from the ground itself as the scent of stone and flames came over the air in the scattering light that was her cloned sacrifice, "Because THIS... IS NOT AN ILLUSION..! This is REALITY!" Seto continued, white scales coming forth with an ear splitting roar as a dragon stood behind her upon its hind legs, "And this is the ULTIMATE BEING... I summon BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!" the woman cried, mirrored by a magnificent and almost song-like roar from a monster who barely stood beneath the height of her coliseum walls. "AND WITH THAT... IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO MEET YOUR END! HnhnHA _HAHA_! ATTACK!" she ordered, the dragon raising its hea from where it had leaned down beside her summoner with a nod. "Burn Baphomet to ash," she continued as the flames developed, heat burning behind and above her as a rush of energy began to fill her veins once more. "BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"

The result of the battle was more than obvious. Almost a joke even. As fires that seemed to radiate a heat as powerful as the sun struck the ground before her she almost saw ashes appear on the ground... And she could see the hologram fade from sight, but only barely with the remaining smoke on the field clouding her vision and singeing the ground where it had once hovered in place.

Yugi grimaced under the force behind the white flames, and yet despite the realism that shouldn't have been, and despite the reason they were there, and the dismissal of a reality she had so clung to until a few grudging moments before she couldn't help but continue to smirk. Perhaps it was the dragon.

This was her monster after all. And now...

"My turn," her opponent hissed, pulling his next card free as he continued. "Kaiba... You saw what I did, didn't you?" he asked, the woman showing little reaction toward the comment besides narrowed eyes. "Pharaoh or Priest... Enemies or even friends," the boy continued with a shout, "It doesn't matter who they were or how they came to that field," he announced clearly. "What was carved in that stone were their spirits as duelists and warriors, carrying with them the battle itself! And that battle," he continued, setting the card on the field before taking another from the grave to do the same as it appeared in a blinding green light, "Has been passed through the years to us now! What we saw... Was NOT an illusion!" the boy called out, shaking his head. "I know that... And so do you! SO NOW!" he shouted across the field, "I activate this spell card... Monster Reborn! Awakening the soul of the mage that sleeps in my graveyard..." The 'mage'...

Wait, that could only be-!

"DARK MAGICIAN," Yugi roared. "ARISE!"

Dark Magician! The card he'd lost from 'Life Shaver' she realized, eyes widening only briefly as the hologram appeared only to stand just as the dragon beside her now did. As the monsters seemed to bow their heads to the other in recognition, and as the Magician turned with a face she almost recognized from a dream she refused to acknowledge...

And...

" _We meet again, Priestess,_ " the magician stated calmly, nodding his head in recognition as she stared. " _It has been many years._ " Wh...

What... Wide eyes that opened briefly with shock quickly narrowed as she steadied her resolve, the Magician before her seeming to cross his arms and smirk from across the field in response to her stiffness. Speaking...

The monster was speaking. She must have been completely exhausted...

To hear something like that...

Ghosts and repeating history was one thing, holograms becoming 'living beings' was entirely different! But regardless...

That tablet, that vision, never revealed the outcome of this battle she reminded herself curtly. And the end... Well. With '2500' against '3000' it was obvious! She had to win this match she told herself yet again, and no matter what occurred she would!

With the aid of this dragon beside her. With the power of the dragon that now stood beside her and-

" _Rrrrrnnn..._ " With those thoughts Blue-Eyes brought her head near to her side, opening its mouth just slightly to let out the near 'hum' that was a low growl. It brushed against her arm as a cat would when asking for attention, and then pulled its head back somewhat to wait for a reaction. " _Nnnrrrrnnnnn..._ "

How?

How could any of this possibly be real she asked herself, forcing herself not to attempt to touch the magnificent beast's head. She wanted it to not be real; reality was easier to deal with when there wasn't the nonsense of magic and dragons and wizards and shadows and yet...

With things such as this, how could she ask that? Blue Eyes gave a low rumble, far softer and kinder than the hologram left room for, calm blue eyes looking directly into her own as it continued to 'hum'. She could see...

Every detail of its...

Of _her_ iris, of _her_ eyes, her mind corrected for some reason. Every single scale in the thick armored hide, the tiny wisps of smoke slowly furling from its nostrils as it snorted and...

The seamless reality of it all, the complete fluidity of each motion. How could it possibly be real, her mind wanted to know. How could any of it...

"My turn's not over yet," Yugi had said through these thoughts, his next words pulling her attentions back to the field as another hologram came from before her opponent. "I set a card face down," the boy continued, "And end my turn!" Hn.

So that was it then, she thought with a small snort, staring at the cards with crossed arms. Well. So he did see that vision she thought to her self, smirking darkly. Another point that made it impossible to ignore the laws of reality this broke, but something that for some reason sat well enough in the back of her mind nonetheless. A fact that unlike the event itself, did not sit well with her mind in any way.

"Hn... Alright then," she responded coldly, drawing her next card and narrowing her eyes. "Let's assume this vision of yours is real... Let me tell you what that would mean," she sneered, continuing to push the 'reality' of the carving in the museum from mind. "That carving of the 'Priest' and Pharaoh'... To me, those are nothing more than stress induced illusions thanks to subliminal suggestion. You think you're a 'King' from thousands of years ago? Don't make me laugh," the woman shouted her grin fading as her eyes widened in a desperate rage. "As far as I'm concerned you're just a prisoner, bound to he past! There's no light for people like you... No light for the people who turn their backs to wander through useless paths of nostalgia and memory! All there is for you and those like you is DEFEAT," Seto continued, shaking her head once again as she fought against the truths that a simultaneous vision granted, the truths that a living and breathing form of her great White Dragon threw in her sight. It couldn't be real and yet it was, it couldn't be real and yet if it was she needed to win more than anything. And so...

And so...

"That defeat," Seto spat, "Won't come soon enough for you! I play the spell Card of Demise!" she announced, drawing until she had five cards in her hand as Yugi growled across from her. "I then play one face down card... And following that," Seto continued, a small smirk coming over her face as the thought of her opponent's usual strategies came to mind, "I summon this! The Lord of Dragon... Making Blue-Eyes invulnerable to magic!" she added with an almost shark-like grin, holographic and bone covered monster contrasting the realism of her dragon completely as her opponent tensed. "Hnhnhnhnhn... End turn," she said with a sneer, again crossing her arms. Now...

This strategy... Yugi used spells and traps to bring down the opponent's power and protect his own, but against Blue-Eyes it was always the same thing. Spellbinding Circle and Magical Hats or cylinders, de-powering the dragon so the Magician could strike in retaliation. And if he thought he could think ahead of her...

He had another thing coming. She'd fought him more than enough times to know his moves, to know his plans. It was as though he was playing with a deck of glass... With all the cracks clearly visible from across the field, and ready to be shattered into irreparable fragments.

"Ngh... I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in defense mode," her opponent decided in the end, the magnetic being appearing in the familiar light of the hologram to again contrast the other monsters on the field. "And then," he continued, tapping the disk again. And then..? Would he fall for this trap, she thought with an anticipatory grin. Would he perhaps...

Attack?

Yes. He would. ' _BLACK MAGIC_ ,' she thought she heard the Magician shout, the sound overlapping Yugi's own declaration of attack as the boy pointed his monster forward. But despite the speech from the monster across from her she merely grinned, laughing as she clicked the button on the duel disk.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Activate Trap!" she announced in retaliation, the card's image swinging up as a series of storm clouds abruptly began to develop. "Magical Trick Mirror! Activating the Monster Reborn from your grave as a result," Seto continued with a grin. Storming winds and striking lightning, with clouds of dust and sea water rising into the air... "And the monster I choose to revive," she roared amid the sudden raging storm, "Is none other than this... THE GOD SOLDIER OF THE OBELISK!” _SUTEKH_ , her mind announced with a shout.

Thunder cracked to the ground and as shadowed magic rushed toward her it was blocked by a slamming armored fist. Her opponent's eyes widened considerably with the re-appearance of the 'god', and even the Magician's reaction was one of shock and partial fear as Blue-Eyes carefully moved back to avoid the God's hand. Her smirk widened even more, the power and drive to fight continuing to flood her being... And as the Magician lowered his staff it became a grin, almost reminiscent of a time she should have long since overcome.

"Hnhnhn... HAHAHAHA!" And despite this relapse in judgment that she'd missed, despite the drive and rage that fueled her almost insane need to simple win this fight, she continued to laugh. "A pity, isn't it?" she laughed, gesturing to the great god around her with wide eyes. "Though he can't attack, and he's here for only one turn, Obelisk has become an unstoppable shield for this move! Your attack rebounds on yourself," she continued, crossing her arms as her opponent seemed to buckle under the flames of shadow now wrapping around his form, "And you're left with NOTHING. This foolish belief you hold in so-called memories and illusions of the past," Seto sneered, Obelisk and the clouds both vanishing from around her in waves of sand and sea as Yugi grit his teeth and looked up with choking swallows. "All it does is make you weak..."

Nothing more nothing less. Simply weak...

Unable to move on and put the past behind them. "Gh..." Yugi took a stumbling step forward, attempting to steady himself as the Dark Magician seemed to move to help him back to his feet. As almost deathly pale skinned hands gripped her rival's arm and lifted the boy carefully up, Yugi looking forward with narrowed eyes.

"Tch..." Resisting defeat, was he? Seto narrowed her eyes, her opponent breathing raggedly before straightening himself up.

"Kaiba," Yugi hissed, taking a card from his hand and setting it on the field. "...I play a card face down... And end my turn." Hn. So that was all then...

In that case. "Hn! I'll crush you now," she hissed, almost frowning a moment before she drew her next card. "Along with all these visions of the past that crawled into this duel! My future lies ahead of this!" Seto announced, taking the card she'd drawn and continuing to rant to her opponent with grit teeth. "And this..." This turn... "This is the final turn! I play a spell card!" she continued as her 'Lord of Dragon' stood, "The Flute of Dragon Summoning! And no matter how deep within this deck they lie," the woman sneered, the Dragon Lord's hologram giving a loud blow on the 'horn' he now held in his grasp, "No matter where they are, my dragons will answer! I summon the remaining two Blue-Eyes to my side of the field!" she announced, more white dust filling the air as roars and snarls threatened those across her. "Giving me four monsters on my side! And with nothing but your pathetic Dark Magician," she continued, ignoring the snarl that came from the monster in question as he took a defensive stance, "Your end comes now... YUGI!" she laughed, the boy across from her growing paler and paler in the face of the trio of dragons before him, "THIS IS IT..! ALL THREE DRAGONS ATTACK!" she called out with a laugh. "AND YOU CAN CARVE MY NAME AS THE WINNER INTO YOUR MEMORIES... NOW... BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION!"

And as the blinding light seared across the field, her laughter leaving her with a hollowed and rage-filled sensation rather than the elation it should have brought...

She thought she heard someone sigh.

_'Really,_ ' someone seemed to whisper. ' _Y' can't win if y' act like tha'..._ '


	7. The Forgotten

He wasn't foolish enough to believe that he could defend himself against this attack. Against the combined force of three immense white dragons with an immunity to spells and traps both. The Dark Magician at his side had no such hopes either, and stood at his side as an almost human being, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. Earlier...

He'd 'helped' him earlier somehow, despite having being nothing more than a 'ghost', a 'spirit' at the most those few times he saw him outside battle.

Even as holograms the dragons across from him were beyond imposing. Enormous in size, with growls that seemed to shake the heavens themselves despite never reaching reality. But as 'real', enormous fire-breathing monsters, with shimmering scales and gleaming, fierce eyes?

When nothing but holograms surrounded everything else! His eyes were beginning to close over with weakness from the last attack, from the strike that only one dragon made...

And Kaiba's laughing voice began to almost fade amid this weakness. He was feeling tired. 'Dead' even. And now as he stood here, about to lose... His vision was fading. He could hardly stand...

He thought he heard screaming in the distance but it was nothing. He thought he heard something fall behind him, but it was nothing. It was...

Was...

The Dark Magician was gripping his arm, mouth open as though to shout something, but something made him stop. He wasn't sure what but...

' _HEY!_ ' a distant voice shouted, a mix of a whisper and a scream both. ' _Don't tell me... Don' tell me you've given up..! YUGI!_ ' Given...

Given up?

Eyes flew open and he looked to the side, the faded voice all too clear to mistake for anything else as the words repeated over the air. Standing right beside him he realized coldly, eyes wide with both horror and confusion as the teen smirked...

Standing right beside him as though nothing were the matter. "Jonouchi," he whispered, swallowing as the blond crossed his arms and snorted. Wearing the same things he wore in the airship... Hah...

His shirt was gone, cut off by the doctors so they could treat him, gauze wrapped around where his wound would be, and what there was outside of that...

Was a large and twisted scar directly where Ra had struck him down long before, a scar that had likely been present for a number of hours now. But there was nothing else there. There was a healing cut from the Millennium Rod on his arm... Perhaps a small bit of recovering bruises dotted around his body... But there was nothing else he realized, the Dark Magician releasing him as he stood somewhat straighter. Nothing else...

And this... This...

"Jonouchi," he repeated, time almost seeming to freeze as the white flames came toward him in a slow, blossoming fire from the mouths of the dragons before him. "You're..." A ghost...

A ghost, standing beside him, he was... " _Heh- No worries,_ " Jonouchi dismissively laughed, waving a hand with a grin as he seemed to guess what his friend was hesitant to say. " _I ain' dead... Y' aren't getting' rid 'f me that easy!_ " That...

He could joke about something like that after all that happened?

When he was standing here in the same condition that his other half would ordinarily be when not in control of the body? " _C'mon Yug',_ " the blond 'whispered', voice still faded as he stowed his hands in his pockets. " _Y' gotta hear me out here,_ " he continued with a sad smile. " _I gotta wake up soon, don't y' know? I gotta see th' others too. Can' leave 'm waiting..._ " That... Of course he couldn't. Of course, but...

But... "How are you here?" he finally forced out, ignoring the fact that time really _had_ apparently stopped for the moment. That the fires before him had slowed to a complete stop, freezing just meters away from his field. "How..."

Jonouchi snorted, a calm smile replacing the more depressed one as he shook his head. " _Really... Y' didn' think I wouldn't come an' watch you fight? Give it just a minute... I'll watch for real, in person,_ " he told his friend with honest eyes. " _But for now..._ " For now...

There was something else?

" _Look across the field_ ," Jonouchi said seriously, eyes dimming somewhat as he turned to look toward his friend's opponent. " _Look at who yer fightin'..._ " Who he was fighting? This...

This couldn't be about his own feelings right? Jonouchi wouldn't do that, he wouldn't-

At the look the blond received Jonouchi sighed, shaking his head and gesturing to Kaiba once more. " _Damn it... That ain' it Yugi. Jus' hear me out,_ " the blond pressed. " _Look at her... I mean really look; look close,_ " he repeated, Yugi frowning somewhat but nonetheless humoring his friend. Look close? Now just what-

It took a moment before he saw what his friend meant, but she was shaking. Pale, breathing shallowly as sweat gathered across her brow. The moment he noticed this his eyes widened somewhat, the boy stiffening as he looked still closer at who he was fighting, at the time-frozen image of his rival. Though she laughed it seemed almost torn, as though it could go both ways. As though this battle was nothing more than a cruel joke, a mockery of all she'd worked for, as though there was a part of her that relished in this fight she fought and another that simply wanted it over. Because in the end...

The winner would face Malik.

The one whom even she had considered a threat that could defeat them both. The one who behind him death followed, even for those who did not face him in a duel monster's match.

If she were to enter the battle with that in mind he realized. If she were to enter this fight believing that there was no hope, that it was life or death as she'd believed before in the past... Then...

The 'Kaiba' he faced now... Torn between the slowly recovering woman he caught a mere glimpse at during the earlier holidays, between this and the deluded and self-sacrificing killer, who had been ready to sacrifice everything if she was proven unable to move on...

If she were to fight Malik now...

Regardless of strength... " _She looks tired, doesn' she?_ " Jonouchi whispered, his friend looking back with a small and wide eyed frown as the blond continued to stare at his crush with a worrisome gaze. " _She's tired... An' y' know what,_ " the blond asked, weakly turning back to his friend. " _...I think she really expects t' die here,_ " he continued, shaking his head. " _She might not say it... She might not ev'n be tellin' herself tha'... But righ' now..._ " He bit his lip, bowing his head before continuing on with a swallow. " _Th's battle..._ " He looked back up, jaw clenched. " _This battle! If you guys are gonna fight, it shouldn' be like th's, alright? She ain' fightin' for th' right reasons any more!_ " he cried, shaking his head almost in desperation. " _Righ' now... Righ' now, she's not paying attention t' why,_ " Katsuya whispered. " _She's jus' payin' attention t' th' same reasonin' she had before... She's payin' attention t' beatin' you, not lookin' at what comes next... So jus' like b'fore_ ," he told the boy. " _Jus' like b'fore, you need t' get past this, righ'..? You need t' beat her... Alrigh'?_ " Both to defeat Malik and to 'help' her then? Well...

He said that now he thought to himself, looking back to the frozen field. But in the end he was facing down three Blue-Eyes, with no hope of-

" _Hey, hey, hey!_ " Jonouchi interrupted, smirking somewhat as he lightly 'rapped' his friend's head. The boy jumped somewhat, bringing a hand up to rub the spot as his friend laughed lightly at the reaction. " _Sheesh... Don' go thinkin' things like tha'..!_ "

But... He didn't say-

" _You were gonna,_ " the blond laughed, grinning at his friend's confusion. He wasn't going to-! Jonouchi merely shook his head again, still smirking as he gave the boy a wink. " _C'mon... Didn' you always tell me tha' as long as you had cards in yer hand, there was always a chance?_ " A chance? In his...

Hand?

Right now..? " _Rrrrrnnnn..._ " That sound...

Yugi paled, eyes widening somewhat as he slowly looked toward the cards he held. That low growl, almost musical in tone. Hadn't...

Hadn't he heard that sound before? On the airship? " _Th' flute's taken effect_ ," Jonouchi said seriously, hands removed from his pockets as he again crossed his arms. " _But y' gotta put th' card there for him t' do anythin'. Don't give up Yugi,_ " he continued, Yugi's eyes widening as he looked from his hand to the blond beside him. " _A true 'duelist'... That kind of person never gives up right? You told me that_ ," he went on, slowly fading from sight. " _An' now... For you!_ " the blond shouted, an energy seeming to seep and melt from his form as the field itself began to change.

As he seemed to smoke into the air itself, colour washing into one solid and golden hue over his body while he faced his friend and smirked. While stone seemed to crackle and form from beneath his feet, while monsters ordinarily hovering through the air seemed to vanish into stone...

" _Let me do at least this!_ " his friend announced, hands held out to the field around them as his smirk became an almost frighteningly determined grin. " _Cause this next fight... This battle y' have comin' up... Ra's waitin' for yah at th' end of it!_ " the blond told him, his body fading from sight within the light he seemed to emanate. " _He's got one more test, and you still gotta pass it... So I'm givin' you all my strength!_ " he roared, eyes widening with the next surge of energy to hit the field as tablets began to rise from the ground and the sky clouded with a seeming film.

As he continued to fade into light and as the monsters took an even more 'alive' appearance to their forms, a shadow passing over their faces...

" _Yugi!_ " he could hear Jonouchi roar. " _LET ME OP'N YOUR EYES_!"

His eyes-!

As the spirit faded from sight and he looked back to the field Yugi's eyes widened with shock, the boy almost falling back at what was slowly creeping into his vision. What had formerly been already incredibly detailed and realistic dragons were now tall and proud in appearance to contrast a formerly frozen scene, standing on their haunches across the field in a protective position around their master. What had once been a series of holographic cards were stone tablets arranged in a semi-circle behind his opponent, and the hologram of the coliseum around them had become the ruins of some great stone structure that he could not recognize. Anything on the defensive had been sealed within stone. Anything face down was a tablet with no face, seemingly formed from the ground itself, and as he turned to look at what had been an already impossibly realistic magician, the man now holding out a hand for aid...

" _My Pharaoh_ ," the Dark Magician at his side asked, his summoner holding back a shocked sputter at the words. " _...Are you... Are you alright? Can you hear me?_ " he added, his own expression almost as surprised as the 'summoner' nodded. This...

The field he saw now...

Tablets of stone bore the carvings of the monsters both on and off the field, those with summoned monsters seeming to smoke with power, shadows, and light both. From the Dark Magician's stone he could see hieroglyphs carved on the sides, their meaning coming to his mind as the very description of the card itself while each of Blue-Eyes' tablets did the same. But more importantly was that just now, misting to existence from where Jonouchi had stood were ebony scales that radiated heat, with an almost skeletal frame taking form.

Spiked armor and flaming red eyes, gleaming through the darkness around it as enormous black wings stretched into the air and a snarling growl followed. This sight... This sight before him...

The White Dragons were still charging their blast, and though the holograms may have fired he still had time! And as he looked back to his hand at where the cards sat, and as the song of the summoning flute hovered through the air he understood. The rules... They didn't work like this not ordinarily. He shouldn't have been able to do this, the card was only 'supposed' to work with the dragons of the one who played the card. But with Jonouchi's help...

With the help of his power, which he had so hidden from him until now...

The card was set on the field and with a powerful roar the dragon announced its presence, joined in a chorus of snarls from the Blue-Eyes across it as they acknowledged his presence. A wave of energy filled the air, filled his being. This power...

"What is this?" he murmured, unable to even shake his head in disbelief. "This power..."

" _The power of an 'Ancient one',_ " the Magician said almost quietly, pulling Yugi's attention to the monster that could just now speak. " _It's an old power,_ " the man explained softly, " _Long since lost to time... As to why your friend has it who knows,_ " he admitted with a shrug, narrowing his eyes and staring across the field. " _But the power allowing him to grant it to you for our fight... I think you know what that is, don't you?_ " he asked, his summoner looking to him almost in confusion for a moment. The Dark Magician...

Speaking...

The cards had souls. This was something he personally believed, he told himself in the back of his mind. But for the cards to have voices, with which they could speak... And Jonouchi always experienced this?

Always spoke with his monsters, always felt the pain on the field? Another roar pierced the air and across from him Kaiba's eyes had widened with shock, the appearance of Red-Eyes finally meeting her gaze. "This... WHAT!" Yes. That was right...

He had a strategy now, and because of it he would not lose! "No dragon can resist the Flute of Summoning!" he said almost flatly, Red Eyes standing protectively behind its current master as he growled. "This doesn't just affect your dragons," the boy continued darkly. "It affects the dragons in my hand as well- The Red Eyes Black Dragon... The power that Jonouchi has lent me!"

" _GRAAAOOOOOOOOO!_ "

* * *

When Katsuya opened his eyes again after fading into darkness, the blond found himself both surprised and not at where he was. It was what he'd found himself fading into to begin with after all. So really to wake up to anything else would have been more surprising. It was all there Was.

Darkness.

"Well," he muttered, scratching his head, "Looks like I'm early..."

Yes.

Very early, thought the one watching him.

But at the same time not really. There were mere minutes before he would wake up... This was merely his 'place', his 'slot' between life and death.

His 'place' between his realm and that of 'the others'. A fact that was what allowed him to come here.

" _Hnhnhn... You came early, true,_ " he responded to Katsuya, the white spirit crossing his arms as he appeared behind the blond. " _But not so much that it's dangerous; you need only wait a few moments more, and you will be able to wake up._ "

Katsuya turned, jumping as he looked to the white spirit before him. Shock, and a small bit of anger...

He still didn't remember him the ghost thought idly. Then again who knew what kind of reaction he'd get when he did...

He almost didn't want to be there when he remembered because of it.

Almost.

"Y-You!" Katsuya shouted, before scowling as he took a step back from his 'guest'. "Sheesh... Don't y' have your own body t' haunt?" His own body? Well...

He did he supposed, but at the moment it was probably being tormented by whatever things held it captive in the other realms. So no. Not really, unless he wanted to risk bringing that torment in here. Regardless of that...

" _Hn! If I could return to m body 'Merea', believe me when I say I would._ "

It would get him out of here. Away from the mind that refused to remember him, only recalling those other pointless things from the past. And only that... Nonetheless it seemed his temporary host and 'mind-mate' was in a chatty mood.

"So y' do have a body then," Katsuya was saying, the frown still set across his face as he stared at the ghost. "What's keepin' yah then? Or better yet," he decided, narrowing his eyes. "When d' you plan on tellin' me who y' are?" Who he was?

He remembered it clearly, who he was. Down to the very last scar, he could remember every detail about what he looked like before he became tied to his current vessel. Yet all the same, the memory of how he came to this place, of how he came to this time... Of what happened during his death.

That was still foggy. Blurred...

And in the back of his mind, he already knew Katsuya couldn't help with that.

" _I already told you,_ " he eventually decided to answer, shaking his head. " _Someone you once knew_."

So if you would just _remember_ he snarled in the back of his mind, clenching his fists while the blond stared. If he would remember...

Even if just a little...

Katsuya merely snorted however, shaking his head as he turned away. "Tch... Yeah... Tha's helpful..."

Helpful no... But he wouldn't remember if he simply told him. He wouldn't...

'The _ **N**_ _wh_ y D **o** _ **yo**_ U BO **T** _ **H**_ _ER?_ ' a chilling and haunting voice asked through the back of his mind. 'H _e_ _ **wo**_ N't r _Eme_ m **B** er You, _sO_ **wHy** do y _Ou_ _ **B**_ **O** THE **R**?' That voice...

A pounding headache struck him down the moment he acknowledged the sound, and dimly he could hear Katsuya muttering from far ahead of him. Was he still there, was he still watching...

He'd turned around, he wasn't, he didn't care-

The spirit gripped his head, 'eyes' narrowing as he clawed at his skull. ' _Get out,_ ' he hissed mentally, shaking himself. ' _You don't belong here... Leave me you snake!'_ He didn't know what this voice was, honestly. And there was nothing to tell him _what_ it was either, nothing to tell him if this was an ally or an enemy.

All he knew was that even now it was clouding his thoughts, twisting his memories, _destroying his mind, the mind that had only just become clear enough to think, to remember_ -

'H _ **e's**_ FO _RG_ _ **O**_ **T** TE _N y_ _ **O**_ **u** ,' the voice hissed, twisted and distorted as it pealed in his mind, ' **A** n _D h_ **e'L** l **NEVER** rE _m_ **eMB** er y _o_ _ **U**_ _..!_ He _dO_ _ **es**_ N't _ev_ En **sId** e WiT _H_ _ **y**_ **ou a** _ **Ny**_ _M_ orE, j _usT l_ oOk **at h** _ **I**_ _m_!' the demon spat, the ghost breathing haggardly as he clutched his head. ' **LoO** Ka _t hi_ **M,** pL _ayI_ N **g his** gA _m_ es w **It** h t **He Ph** ar _aoh_ an **D P** r **ie** _st... He_ _ **e**_ **V** en _kn_ _ **ow**_ S wh _o_ _ **thE**_ _y_ ar **E, a** n _d wH_ a **t do** Es h _e do._.!'

He lets them live.

But... But...

But he couldn't _help_ that he tried to tell himself, nails digging further into his scalp in an attempt to banish the words in his mind. He couldn't help but do that, he'd known them so long that he'd simply become...

Accustomed to them, adapted to them, he'd befriended them, _he didn't really remember them either, he..._

He...

"I'm sorry," the blond was muttering, unaware of the torment his guest was going through behind him. "About not r'memberin' you 'r anythin'... But y' should really stop trying t' make me figure it out myself," he continued quietly. "I mean... If I haven' gotten it yet," Katsuya muttered almost hopelessly, "I ain't gonna remember any time soon. An' by this point," he went on, "You should take a break in your own body, y' know? Figure out how t' get back there an' get some rest..." Rest in his own...

His own... Body...

How could he even ask that...!

'B **e** _ **c**_ _A_ u **Se** _ **h**_ _e dOe_ s **N** 't **CARE** aB _ **o**_ **U** T yO _ **u an**_ Ym **O** _ **r**_ _E!_ ' the voice taunted, sliding through his ears like oil. 'N **Ot l** _ **I**_ _k_ E **I** do... A **lL** _he_ _ **car**_ Es fo **R** _ar_ e hIs p **Re** _ **ciO**_ _Us fr_ **Ien** D _s, t_ he roY **al** S y _ou_ _ **so**_ **de** sPi _se..!_ '

The voice pounded these words into the very fabrics of his mind and in vain he continued to try and vice them out of his thoughts. _Stop it_ he hissed in his mind, almost crying with rage as his thoughts continued to twist against what he knew.

Stop it, stop talking..!

'W _ **h**_ **Y** w **Oul** _D_ h _E_ _ **n**_ E _ed_ **YOU**?' the monster continued to roar. 'Wh **y** _ **w**_ _OUl_ d he hA _ **vE a**_ _n_ y carE _ **f**_ _Or_ **a frA** _ **g**_ _mE_ Nt **of s** _o_ Ul, sEa _Led_ a **Way t** o t _He d_ epTh **S o** f tIm **e**..! He d **OesN't k** Now yO **u,** ' it hissed, taunting, encouraging. 'No **T lIke** me... be'd **bE b** eTte **R o** Ff DEad aT t **hE r** At _E w_ E'Re _**gOi**_ _ng_ nOw _,_ _ **s**_ **o wh** _Y_ nOT _j_ _ **U**_ **St kI** _ **lL**_ _hIm.._?'

Because he couldn't kill him...

He could never kill him, he...

"I mean... ...If y' can' r'turn t' yer body... ...Doesn' tha' mean yer dead?"

Something snapped in the back of his mind and he shook himself, stumbling back with wide eyes. No, he snarled, fingers digging into his skull. No, he wasn't dead...

_No, he wouldn't kill him, he couldn't kill him, he couldn't..!_

' **KILL** hi _m_ ,' the monster pressed, his voice becoming clearer and more embedded within his mind as he screamed in silence. 'D _e_ **Str** Oy hi **M** _ **bE**_ **fo** rE he c _A_ **n** eV _e_ **N** rE **Ac** _ **H**_ _hIs_ _ **bo**_ Dy, a **nd i** _ **T**_ _'L_ l aL _ **l b**_ **e yo** _UrS..!_ ' His...

All his... A body of his own...

A body of his...

_...But it wouldn't be his!_

_'I won't!'_ he snarled, the flat where a mouth should have been slowly hollowing inward as he ground his teeth, eyes curling in on themselves as he squeezed them shut to block out what he saw. ' _I won't... I won't! Monster... DEMON! Get out of my head! LEAVE ME!_ ' he screamed, the 'skin' over his mouth stretching with each movement of the jaw.

**'LEAVE?** ' it asked, almost chuckling in response. ' _B_ **uT I** _ **'**_ _v_ E d _O_ _ **n**_ e n **Ot** _hIng_ _ **b**_ _U_ t he **L** _ **p yo**_ U,' the voice soothingly replied, almost wrapping around his mind in 'comfort'. ' **I'** m y _ **O**_ _ur_ a **lL** _y_ , a **N** _ **d I'**_ _m_ oN y **oU** r sI _ **dE**_ **... HE d** OesN _ **'t e**_ **v** En _rE_ meM **b** eR _yo_ **U** r **NAME**!' He couldn't help that...

'W **h** _ **A**_ _t y_ O **u LOOK** **LIKE** ,' he couldn't help that, 'W **H** _aT_ y **oU** **SOUND LIKE** ,' he couldn't help that...

'Y **o** U'V _e b_ _ **e**_ **En** _ **h**_ ErE **t** _He e_ _ **Nt**_ **i** Re ti **M** _ **e a**_ _nD_ he h **A** sn' _T nO_ **tiC** ed t _hE_ _ **c**_ **o** NneCti **On** _ **s,**_ mY _de_ **A** r bOy _,_ _ **I tH**_ inK it o _ **bVi**_ **oU** s w **H** at y _O_ _ **u**_ nEed _ **t**_ _O_ _ **D**_ **o.**.!'

Get out of his head... Get out, _get out_ he tried to scream, thrashing behind the blond as he continued to stare away in thought. Get out, he wept, _get out_...

**'K** _ **i**_ _L_ l **hI** _m!_ ' the voice snarled. 'K _ **I**_ _l_ L **hi** _M, kI_ l **l H** im, **KILL HIM**..! It **'L** l _o_ _ **N**_ _lY_ hU **rt** _ **a**_ _m_ _ **O**_ **m** ENt,' it continued, the silent screams almost ghosting into the air as Katsuya continued to stare in the opposite direction, 'S _ **o**_ _jU_ st g **Et It o** _ **v**_ _Er w_ I **tH**..!' He didn't want to...

' **Kill him**...' He didn't need to...

( _Please,don'tmakehimdothis_ )

' _ **K**_ **i** _ **ll**_ **hi** _ **m,**_ ' He didn't have to...

( _Don'tdothis,hesavedyou,Merea,Merea,friend,FRIEND_ )

' **Ki** _ **ll h**_ **im, K** _ **ill**_ **H** _ **i**_ **m, KILL HIM..!** '

And as the shouts continued within his mind his mouth finally forced its way open, the skin tearing to shreds and flying deep into an endless hole. Blank white eyes sank inward to form naught but empty gaping sockets, and his mouth opened to an impossible width to bare long and dagger like teeth. Claws came through his fingers as they cut into his skin, white and feathered wings from his back, and as the orders to attack coursed through his veins he still continued to struggle, screaming in silence to the heavens above and to whatever hell would hear him cry.

'Y _o_ _ **U**_ _a_ R **e a** **SNAKE**!' the voice snarled, the ghost's legs vanished for nothing but white scales and wings at his hips. ' **A SNAKE** , _wIt_ _ **h**_ _ **ey**_ Es o **N** _lY f_ **Or y** o _Ur_ **PREY**... T _h_ _ **E**_ **y'Ve c** aL _le_ D **yO** _u_ su **Ch** _so_ _ **w**_ Hy **DENY IT**?' Why...

Why... ' _They don't even call me 'Itja_ '.

Why... ( _What was his name?_ )

' _Or Gannab..._ ' Why..!

( _WhatwashisNAME!_ )

_'Or even Kleftis..._ '

Why, _why_ , every reason he pulled to his mind was being devoured, eroded away into the darkness of his mind! There was a reason... He knew there was a reason damn it, but why!

An armored helm appeared beneath his fingers, a horn above his brow, and his eyes were nothing but endless black holes. His hands were falling limp to his sides, and his mouth was opening still wider as he slid forward, jaw hanging in its socket as he took in his prey.

"Y'r probably still there," Katsuya was saying, the monster behind him ignoring his words in the slow one-shot attack to end the source of the voice's taunting, to simply banish this presence that refused to acknowledged his identity. "Waitin' f'r me t' wake up, or jus' figure you out..." He didn't care any more, the voice in his head provided. He didn't care, he didn't care just die...

Die...

"Your voice..." DIE... "I don' recognize it but..." DIE, _DIE, DIE, DIE_!

". . ." The mouth opened further and as they came just behind his victim's neck, teeth prepared to rip delicate flesh from bone to swallow it whole the blond's eyes shot open and he spoke once more.

"...Saraph." Sa...

That _name_..!

" _Gh-!_ "

Breathing hitched and the monster abruptly pulled back, mouth snapping shut as his eyes widened. His name...

That was his name, that was his _NAME_!

What had he been doing he screamed to himself, grabbing his head and again struggling against the monstrous form he'd taken now. What had he been about to do! He...

He...

Snarling orders to kill pulsed through his mind, and with one last scream the ghost vanished from sight; he had to get out of here. He had to leave, before he did something...

Something...

Before he hurt him...

Before he killed him, he would return to his 'body', to his 'punishment', to his 'cell', to-!

"Saraph," Katsuya continued to mutter, slowly turning around with his eyes turned to the ground. "Tha's yer name... Isn' it?" the blond asked, shaking his head. "I mean, yer voices 'r obviously diff'rent but-"

He stopped, looking over the empty space around him with a frown.

Gone. The ghost was... Gone. Nothing but dark, black empty space...

"What..."

And in the distance suddenly he heard a roar.

A familiar and air splitting roar, shaking the very foundations of where he stood. Felt a blast of flames, and heard his friend speak...

_'Thank you Jonouchi_ ,' he whispered honestly, the snarls of fighting dragons filling his ears. ' _This strength of yours... I won't let it go to waste. Now... Wake up like you said you would..._ ' Wake up...

With a nod and a small smile, he turned to do just that, closing his eyes and smirking.

And around him as the darkness crumbled away to light, he walked forward to whatever awaited him.

* * *

When the snarl hit the air she'd momentarily faltered in her attack, eyes widening as black scales appeared through the air. This card...

Yugi had used Red Eyes against Katsuya when he was controlled by the Millennium Rod (a control she was only grudgingly admitting possible), as a piece to snap him from his stupor... But she hadn't realized this was still in his deck. She didn't think he'd keep that card in his deck. This card...

"That... Is NOT your CARD!" she hissed, the fires releasing from her dragon's mouth as she snarled. It wasn't his to summon, his to play. It wasn't his! "You... I'll destroy you for even thinking you could bring it into our match!" Seto roared, fists clenched tight as she continued her attack. "NOW! The first target is the Magician!" the woman announced, pointing forward with wide eyes as the closest dragon nodded its head. "GO!" She had to win she told herself, white flames glowing brightly at her side as they increased in heat and size within the dragon's maw. She had to... She had to finally over come this obstacle before her, grind him into the ground, as she would to the one following! She HAD TO... "DESTROY IT!"

"Not yet!" Yugi countered swiftly, waving his hand across the field. Yet despite not even touching the disk the card swung upward, and above the Dark Magician came a pair of tall cylinders. Tall and familiar cylinders, the first absorbing the attack of the white dragon and sending it forward from a glowing bottom of the other. "Activate Trap!" the boy announced. "Magic Cylinder! TAKE AIM AND FIRE!" he roared, the momentary tenseness Seto felt quickly evaporating. Why...

What was she worried about, she laughed to herself mentally. "Hn!" Not bad to counter. But with Lord of Dragons on the field, there was no reason for her to-

What was she kidding? Of course there was a reason! "I know what you're thinking," her opponent chuckled, a smirk coming over his own face as Seto frowned and to some extent shook. "As long as Lord of Dragon's is on the field, nothing can touch your monsters... So I'll be taking care of that!" he continued with a grin, the fires launching forth from the cylinder and blossoming forward. "I TARGET THE DRAGON LORD!" The dragon-

No! With a synthesized shout the hologram was destroyed on impact, Seto grimacing and pulling back under the heat of her dragon's attack. "Gh... No matter," she retorted, pointing her remaining monsters forward as the other two dragons snarled. "I still have two more dragons ready to attack! That card," the woman continued stiffly, the heat of the flames leaving her breathing rough and quick. This card! "Is not yours to control... PREPARE TO DIE RED-EYES!" she continued, white flames blasting forward from the second Blue-Eyes as the black scaled opponent reared and snarled. "NOW-"

"ANOTHER TRAP!" Yugi countered, again not touching the disk as the card swung upward. As the card revealed its face and as holograms shot around her monsters with no warning. "SPELL BINDING CIRCLE!" The spell-

Shit, and she'd known that one was there! And as the circle appeared around her monster, pinning her dragon in place on the ground where it struggled the woman paled. "Gh..." Seven hundred attack points down with all of its limbs pinned to the points of the circle by sparks of black electricity. Unable to attack, unable to defend unable to do more than snort and growl behind its teeth as it leered forward...

"And with the monster weakened and unable to move, Red-Eyes will counter," her opponent announced almost coldly, Seto looking back to the field in rage as black and red flames grew from the holographic dragon's mouth. "GO," he roared. "BLACK FIRE BULLET!"

" _GRAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_!"

"GH-" Damn it! The fires blew past with all the force of a raging storm, Seto ducking beneath her arm even as another of her dragons shielded her from the brunt of the attack and as sparks flew around her feet. From within the spell's circle she could hear her monster's cry. Hear the dragon's wail of death as it faded into ashes on the wind, white scales stained black with ashes beneath the strike... "You..." To lose... To this dragon, this 'ghost'...

" _RAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOO_!" Mark her words she thought, the third of her dragons blasting through Yugi's Magnet Warrior with ease. This meant nothing...

NOTHING!

* * *

That was what she said, at least.

_-beep_

But as the monitor began to alter its single toned sound into steadily spaced ' _blips'_ from the side, the others turned back to the bed.

_-beep_

It was just a short heart beat. Just one sound... Just one small trace of a pulse that wasn't forced by machine, just enough to instill hope.

Just enough to have them staring, waiting for the few seconds that felt like hours...

_-beep-beep-beep-be_

"GH- K-h... KHKKKHH-"

Choking.

Without warning Katsuya's body jerked, eyes flying open as he attempted to breathe despite the tubelike device that had been forced down his formerly unmoving throat. Jerking and twitching as he stared wildly at the ceiling, fighting against the machine that had provided him air. "Calm yourself," the doctor was hurriedly telling him, pulling the machine and tube out as the blond continued to struggle. "Calm down, you're still recov-" As Kuzushi froze with the finally removed tube in her hand the blond continued to cough, the absence of the device still leaving traces of the gag reflex in his throat.

"Gkkh... Hkk... Hah... Hah... Ahhh..."

"N-Nihan," Shizuka whispered, staring as the blond looked over himself with a frown. "Nihan, you..."

"Katsuya-nii..."

"Stand back," the doctor hissed. "Listen to me Jonouchi; I need you to tell me how you feel," she pressed, reaching out to remove the 'auto pulse', "Understand? You were clinically dead for over half an hour, I need you to-"

"What th'..." Kuzushi paused as Katsuya sat up, beating her to the task she'd attempted to deal with. "Th' hell is this?" The blond rasped, pulling the large and now non-functioning 'Auto Pulse' off his chest and carelessly tossing it to the side. The doctor beside him fumbled with the device, looking at her patient first with displeasure and then relief. He was awake now. And the others had realized by this point that he was more or less alright, but...

"J... Jonouchi," the others were shouting, pulling his attention back as the blond stared. "You're alive... You're..." Uh oh... That look in Honda's eyes was... "Come here damn it," Honda snarled, suddenly pulling the teen over by the shoulders to shake him roughly. "Asshole! You know how worried about you we were?" he growled, gripping his friend's shoulders tight as Katsuya stared. "How pissed I am now?"

"EH- Wha-" H-Hey, he just woke up, let him calm down... And...

And... Katsuya blinked, staring as Honda bit his lip. "If you... Even think of getting killed like that again," he warned, dropping his friend as he held his head, "I swear to god I'm gonna drag you back to kill you again myself..." He looked back up, Katsuya continuing to stare almost blankly in response to the severe gaze he was receiving. "Don't EVER do that again, got it? You hear me?"

"I..." He blinked, before nodding. "...Right." No matter what... While the others fell silent at those words Katsuya merely shook himself, holding his head and grimacing as a wave of pain rushed through it. "Achhh..." Headache... Headac- "Shit!" he abruptly shouted, turning to look at the side as he cut the others off before they could speak. "What time-!" What time was it...

The doctor said half an hour so... So what time was it? Too late, that was what time it was he realized with a nervous swallow. Far too late.

With little warning other than to look up with wide eyes he pulled at the sensors that had been attached to his body, the doctor and the others quickly panicking as he moved for the bandages as well.

"AH- Hold on!" Otogi shouted, the sensors clacking against the gurney and floor as he hopped off the side. "Jonouchi," he protested in panic, "Your wound hasn't-"

Healed? The bandages fell to the floor and in there place was nothing more than a rough and ragged line to mar the otherwise massive 'handprint' Ra had left behind long before. At the sight of both the others stared in shock, the stupor giving him ample time to pull off the rest of the gauze and tape. Yeah... Somehow he knew that was happening.

What with it being a duel cut and all... (Exodia... He was just being a prick far as he could tell...)

"Forget about me for now," he said quickly, looking toward the window. "Like you guys said... Yugi's duelin' Seto-chan, this ain't th' time!" He looked back to the others for a moment, frowning. "Speakin' of... How come you aren't out there cheerin'?"

...Maybe he shouldn't have said that. "C... CHEERING!?" Anzu snarled with a red face, eyes flashing between gold and blue/brown with no sign as to which one within the body was more ticked at the remark. "What were we supposed to do leave you alone? You just woke up from over half an hour of clinical death," 'they' retorted, Katsuya momentarily freezing at the reminder. "Did you really think we were going to stay on the field for that!" Eh...

He coughed somewhat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. Well they had a point but... "ACK, f'rget it," he grumbled, grabbing his dogtags from the side table and bolting out of the room before the others could say a word. "Like hell I'm missing this, come on!"

"W- What?" Honda sputtered, turning as the blond ran from the room, "'Come on'..?"

"Nihan," Shizuka protested from behind, "You don't have a shirt-"

"Katsuya-nii, your shoes!"

As shouts filled the air behind him visions did the same, the blond swallowing as he skidded out of the airship to run on bare and likely to be scratched feet. The duel was happening his mind told him almost in whispers, Red-Eyes was attacking, Blue-Eyes was burning to naught but ash... And while he still had yet to explain what happened during his own fight and what happened that allowed him to live, it would just have to wait a little longer!

* * *

On the field they stood upon it was hard to tell what anything meant any more. At the start of the tournament it had been clear what the point of all of this was. She fought to defeat Yugi, to surpass the darkness that she had succumbed to in the time of Gozaburo... And for the short bit of time after as well her mind added bitterly. She fought not only to do this but to attain each of the God cards, and to weed out the Ghouls that chased them. To clear them from the streets like the filth they were...

Yugi didn't originally intend to enter however, from what her brother had told her. He entered only because of a stone tablet from a land long lost, a tablet that supposedly held the keys to his 'memories' and a tablet that she stubbornly refused to believe the authenticity of even with the white dragons at her side. The two dragons...

The third was a pile of ash now she reminded herself, jaw clenching as the dust to her side blew in the wind. Her rival was fighting for apparently lost memories she repeated mentally, eyes narrowing as she looked across the field. Memories tied to the God cards, memories that didn't exist, she snarled in the back of her mind once more.

Or did they? Well...

It would certainly be easier if they didn't. And the fact was that all the rules of reality pointed to that being the answer. So for now she decided, she would stick with that opinion then. When this battle began, they were fighting to pass time. Fighting to decide who would hold Malik off and with luck defeat the monster and leave him at the tower.

Yugi didn't know her plan. He didn't know that even with one single card, the chances of a win were still only 22%. He didn't know that once that final duel ended, regardless of who won, this tower would have limited time before exploding into flames. When that happened...

She would leave Malik there to die and she would feel no remorse for it, she told herself. And if it came to it...

She too would die, so long as it meant her brother escaped with his life and the lives of the others. As the fight progressed however it seemed pride and hate both rose to change the goal of the match, to change the intent behind those battling on the field The winner of this battle...

If she didn't win this battle what did that make her, she asked herself with a mental snarl. If she couldn't be strong enough to defeat him this time... If she couldn't surpass everything that happened before, everything in the past! If she couldn't even do that...

Then a mere 22% would become...

"It's still my turn," she finally said as the thoughts were cut short, a small smirk on her face as she fingered the other card in her hand. She wouldn't lose, she told herself confidently. She wouldn't lose... No matter what. "You have two monsters on the field," Seto began, confidence rising further in the face of thoughts deemed pathetic. "Two monsters," she repeated, "With my dragons power far superior to your own and leaving you with no other choice than defence..." And that choice, thanks to the cards in her hand...

Thanks to this single card she thought with a somewhat maddened grin, that choice wouldn't be a choice at all.

"I play two face down cards," she announced calmly, setting the last cards of her hand down with narrowed eyes and watching as the holograms rose to her front. "End turn!"

"Then it's my turn," her opponent responded almost stiffly, drawing his next card with a swallow. Like she herself had moments before, there were only two cards in Yugi's hand. And like she had done following that moment the boy took both and set them on the field, the holograms arising even as he paid them no mind. "I also place two face down cards... Following that," he continued, gesturing to the dragon at his side, "Red Eyes enters defense mode and-"

There. "Hnhnhnhnhnhn..." Not any more! "Activate permanent trap," Seto roared, a laugh coming through the air with the cry. "FINAL ATTACK ORDERS! So long as this is here all monsters remain in attack mode... In addition," she chuckled, eyes narrowing with vicious mirth as the monsters across from her seemed to snarl at the spell she'd cast, "Both players must choose three cards to leave in their decks while the rest are sent to the grave!" An odd effect for a battle position trap...

But nonetheless one she would take advantage of, and one that had her opponent's eyes widening in momentary shock. Only three cards.

Three cards, and with those cards she would win this game despite anything that could possible occur in the next few turns! "I don't even need to wait three turns to defeat you," she said confidently, arms crossed as she looked across the field with shadowed eyes. "But I suppose you can place your pitiful hope in the three cards you choose... Right, Yugi?" There was no answer and she continued to laugh, grin widening as her opponent shakily picked his cards and discarded the remaining chunk to the grave at the dueldisk's side. "Hnhnhnhn... HAH _AHAHA_..." She won... She won. "This time you're finished!" she laughed, the dragons giving low growls and nods in response as they turned their heads toward the boy. "So... What will you do now?"

"Gh..." The boy continued to remain silent, before eventually bowing his head. Of course he had no options remaining. What could there possibly be after all? In the end he looked up, fists clenched as the Dark Magician as well sent a glare across the field. "End turn," he bit out, narrowing his eyes still further as his opponent chuckled. Hnhnhnhnhn...

In that case, it was her move! "My turn then," she announced, taking the first of the three 'shuffled' cards. And if she was right. The first one in her hand would be... "Hnhnhahaha..." Just as expected she thought as she glanced over the card face, putting it on the disk with a grin. "I play the spell Monster Reborn!" she announced with wide eyes, green light filling the air as the third monster of hers slowly formed from the ashes that had littered the ground. As wings beat the air and as snow white scales appeared and shimmered in the light, and her opponent's eyes widened still further as she grinned. "You can guess who I've brought back! More over," the woman continued as she tapped the duel-disk, "I activate the spell I've kept face down, POLYMERIZATION! AND NOW.. BEHOLD!" Seto roared, a portal appearing behind her to pull the dragons far within as they cried. As the dragons behind her merged, twisting into the enormous and nigh-God-sized dragon that filled her side of the arena completely to snarl in anticipation. "The greatest of monsters... BLUE-EYES, ULTIMATE DRAGON..!" A monster more powerful than even Obelisk...

A monster that could never be defeated, never! A monster that stood at her side now, each head coming down to give her assuring growls despite her mind screaming not to acknowledge such an outlandish sight. What she was going to do to her opponent now?

What she was going to do... "Yugi," she sneered. "When I defeat you I want you to realize completely that this was never simply revenge," the woman hissed, narrowing her eyes. The boy stared back, expression somewhat tense and confused as his opponent went on. "Why have I been so fixated with defeating you," she muttered, her gaze dimming somewhat with the words. "Why do I want to fight you... You want to know why that is?" Seto asked, raising her voice with a snarl. "You want to know the answer? All you fight for are memories carved on a stone rock," the woman spat, "A past long since blown away... And in the end, what does it MATTER?" she snarled, unaware that her words were falling on more than just her rival's ears, and on more than just the ears of those who knew this voice. "To me... The memory of the past is nothing more than a crumbling piece of rock," Seto hissed, bringing her arm back and shaking her head. "My past... Is nothing but hate, and anger... Not like your stupid fantasy of Egyptian myth!" There was never more than anger and hate.

Through Gozaburo's control she came to hate him, hate everything around her. Hate all those who couldn't see that man for who he was, hate those who couldn't see what she herself was turning into. And when she took control of that company, when that man died, the anger failed to dissipate...

The rage of what occurred merely moved on to stronger and undying hatred for the next target and so she pushed forward. There was nothing to the past. Nothing at all, and for that reason...

"I care only for the future," she hissed, clenching her fists as she swallowed a now choking breath. "And I spit on the past. And as a creature of the past Yugi, I'll destroy you along with it! I will cast all of this darkness down," she roared, "And there will be nothing but light left! NOTHING MORE!" Everything would be gone. Everything...

Everything... And the light remaining...

In the crowd that they could not see beyond coliseum walls, there were questions. Was everything truly nothing but hate? Weren't there at least some happy times? Just a few?

The summers in Germany? The times with Katsuya and Mokuba? Hanami, Valentines, even a few choice moments between all of that? And long before Gozaburo, before 'Anne-bachan', before the truck accident?

With their father? If any of these thoughts came to mind she hadn't shown it. And the fact was they didn't occur to her at all, not in the least. Not when her opponent merely bowed his head and sighed, a small smile on his face as he shook his head. As he shook his head and laughed at first quietly, and then slowly it loud enough that those around the entire tower top would have heard. "...I'm surprised you can even smile, let alone laugh," she muttered, narrowing her eyes as a scowl came over her face. "Just what's so funny about my words?"

"Funny?" Yugi repeated, opening his eyes as his laughter cut short. "Absolutely nothing. Kaiba," he began lowly, gaze dimming somewhat as he spoke. "You're one of the few people I recognize as a 'duelist', as someone I can truly fight with and enjoy fighting with. But quite frankly," he continued coldly, "I'm disappointed."

What? 'Disappointed'? He thought she cared about-

"Let me put it bluntly," Yugi went on, still frowning. "Hate, anger... No matter how much of this you have, that won't be enough to defeat me, and it never will! Your mind is just like this tower. Standing tall amid the hate, piling more anger and detest on top of it until you reach the top, but in the end you can't reach victory like this... All you'll do is continue looking for the next thing to hate," he stated coolly, "Searching for the next target to destroy. And all you'll do in the end is destroy yourself and those around them. I... I fight for those who I believe," the boy added with a determined scowl, Seto narrowing her eyes as he went on. "For my friends. For myself... Not just for 'memories' or 'fate'... But to realize exactly who I am, and to become the kind of person that the people I fight for can depend upon! And I'll show you what I mean," he shouted, waving his hand yet again as a card swung upward. "I reveal my own spell... 'Double Spell'! Copying the spell combo you just pulled," he snarled, Seto's eyes widening in horror as the boy continued. "First, I summon Buster Blader with Monster Reborn... NEXT!" Yugi roared, the hologram's green light heralding the seemingly spandex covered swordsman, "Using Polymerization, I fuse the Dark Magician with the Buster Blader.! And as a result," he announced, the hologram that came into view wrapping around 'Mahaad' to form a regal armor around the magician while he stared across the field, "I summon the Magic Swordsman, the 'DARK PALADIN'!"

Dark... Paladin... " _Prepare yourself Priestess,_ " 'Mahaad' warned, gripping the spear-like blade he now held in your hand. " _For we BOTH fight..._ "

"Hit me with all your hatred," the boy's summoner taunted, his words almost seeming to be more of a statement than a challenge. "I'll wipe it ALL out!"

* * *

He'd known of course, that she would want all three of her Blue-Eyes on the field. More than that he'd guessed that if she were to pick any card to save, it would have been Monster Reborn and Polymerization. She wouldn't need much else after all, to bring out her true ultimate monster. To bring out her 'Queen' so to speak.

(He'd have thought it as 'King', but for some reason his thoughts wouldn't let him and...)

...And in the end...

Jonouchi was right. This battle... If Kaiba were to win this battle in this state, it would not be the kind of win that would help in any way. It would simply pull her back down to the state she'd been in so long before, detesting all in her path, all in her way.

The same path that she herself abhorred. "Tch... So you summoned your own 'ultimate monster'?" his opponent snorted from across the field, the woman's eyes nonetheless somewhat wide with cautious fear. "The ultimate dragon has 4500 attack points, and yours has 2900... Even with the special effect," she continued, the Paladin at Yugi's side standing in indifference as they listened, "There are only two dragons here. 3900 attack points is still too few to challenge ME!" For now, Yugi reminded himself.

For now. And of course...

"Of course, since my monster is a fusion summon," Kaiba added bitterly, "I can't attack. On that note," she finished, "It's your turn..."

"Yes," he responded almost flatly. "It is."

He wouldn't deny that without the circumstances present he'd have still done all in his power to win. That would have been a completely ridiculous lie after all! No matter what, that was the goal in a game; to win. He'd be foolish to claim that his own pride and enjoyment toward the event would allow something like that to be thrown away. But now more than ever with all that was on the line, he looked across the field to the dragon that stood behind its master. The dragon whose mouths were closed, whose eyes were almost dulled with indecision and sadness as he pushed against his earlier thoughts of giving in. Even the monsters did not wish to fight.

Even Blue-Eyes...

Even _she_...

The face down card Magic Formula wouldn't be enough to power-up the Paladin in the face of the Ultimate Dragon Yugi told himself almost grimly, but it would be foolish to think Kaiba wouldn't counter a spell like that regardless. After all; it would take one more turn to defeat him if that were to happen, and in the state she was in now there was no patience whatsoever. It was kill or be killed, destroy and move on, and for once this battle could not continue as the game it was. She wanted it over as fast as possible and to destroy a spell that would prevent that wouldn't matter on the last move. This battle...

There was not just facing Malik on the line to save those in the comas, not for this battle. There was not just pride and memory to deal with. Not this time. And as he drew the second of his three cards he left his arms at the side, giving his opponent a short nod. "I set a card face down," he said clearly, swallowing nervously as his final trump card was placed on the field in the form of a stone tablet with a blank face at his side. "It's your move."

"Hn!" Shadows hung on the air, but they were shadows not tied to a particular force. And the feeling that this battle brought with it...

Making him nauseated, even weak...

"I'll play a face down card as well," Kaiba decided after her own draw, the dust on the field rising to form a similarly blank faced tablet as a result. "And now Yugi, prepare yourself!" she snarled with a grin. "I'll bury you heart along with the detestable past and you can make peace with yourself!" Make peace? That...

That was something that she needed to do first! "Kaiba," he said lowly, narrowing his eyes. "What do you think your hate and anger are leaving you with, if you have to rely on that to try and defeat me? Power?" he asked seriously, his opponent merely narrowing her eyes further as he continued. "Did that work before! You'll never escape if you use it as fuel," Yugi cried, shaking his head. "It'll swallow you completely and it'll leave nothing left." And as a rival, he didn't want that.

He wanted a battle where they could fight for the sake of fighting, not caring who won or lost when it came to the end. A battle that wasn't so much a battle but a game, as it always was.

But more importantly he wanted to face her as both a rival and as a friend.

"Say what you want," Kaiba hissed, white flames slowly developing in the back of the dragon head's throats as she snarled. "I'm still going to win! And this is it! ULTIMATE DRAGON!" she announced, the stones at Yugi's side seeming to shiver in anticipation for the move as the dragons gave a wailing cry. "ATTACK... ULTIMATE BURST!" The fires shot forward. The plume of flames came closer and closer...

Now!

"Reveal face down card!" he announced, waving a hand toward the tablet that held the spell. The tablet carved an image across its face, crumbling to a string of runes and symbols that floated through the air. It was strange... Not using the duel disk he meant, but something told him the buttons wouldn't quite work properly if he tired it that way. So why not use his friend's strategy if he was using his friend's 'eyes'?

Why not? With that in mind... The smoke swirled through the air and a smirk came over his face. "Magic Formula!" And with that cue, the next part of the plan came into being. "I knew it," Kaiba hissed, clicking the duel disk as the tablet on her side crumbled to dust and destroyed his own. "Absorb spell! Taking your spell card's effect," the woman began, the smoke pulled across to her field to stain her monster with its spells and carvings, "And adding it to my own!" Loud and snarling roars hit the air as Kaiba continued to laugh, the dragon's powerful attack becoming more heated even as it struck the second tablet shielding him. "HAHAHA..." Five hundred points of attack power... "HAHAHAHAAAA! Added to its own... "YOUR SO CALLED SAVIOR THE PALADIN... AND THE GHOST OF DEFENSE FROM YOUR DRAGON!" Kaiba added, expression twisted with rage and anticipatory 'cheer' alike, "ALL OF IT WILL BE SHATTERED..! I'VE WON!" she snarled. "HEAR THAT?"

The woman's response was much quieter than her own shouts, and when those shouts died down it was almost difficult to hear from across the field. "We'll see about that," Yugi responded calmly, the flames already pushing down on the two monsters at his side with the tablet shield crumbling to a carved pillar of dust. "Kaiba... No matter how tall your tower of hate becomes it's still fragile," he announced. "My next face down card!" Yugi called out, pointing forward as the smoky pile of dust moved to cloud the white dragon before him. "DE-FUSION..!"

And as Kaiba's eyes widened in horror, and as the dragon slowly split from the necks down into a triad... And as all three dragons snarled from across him on the field, Red-Eyes snarling in response...

"There are now four dragons on the field," he said clearly, narrowing his eyes as he continued his move. "Bringing the Dark Paladin's power up even more. And last but not least," the boy continued, the Paladin in question bringing his spear up with a swift nod, "I play this final spell from my hand! Diffusion Wave Motion! It might cost 1000 life points," Yugi continued, the meter on his wrist dropping down as the Magician swung his weapon, "But to attack each of your monsters it'll be worth it! NOW DARK PALADIN!" he roared, Kaiba continuing to pale and stare from across him as her game was turned on her once again, "STRIKE THEM DOWN... AND TEAR THROUGH THE DARKNESS! FIERCE SLASHING WAVE!"

" _HHHHAAAAH!_ " The blade swung forward...

And though it never connected, the waves of darkness that shot forth from it did. " _RAAAOOOOOOOO!_ " The first one's neck was severed cleanly, and as arterial spray shot into the air Yugi's expression fell and his skin went pale. " _AOOOOOOOO!_ " The second one was cut through the middle, wings split clean in two and a mix of bone and organ falling to the ground amid the corpse left behind.

" _ARAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOO..!_ " And the final one...

Was reduced to just as much a mess as the two before him. The blade that his monster swung forward released such a wave of darkness that for a moment he couldn't see anything beyond the attack until that moment. All he could hear were the pained screams of the White Dragons, the monsters final cries hanging through the air as he stared. But for a moment after, with the gore remaining on the field, there was nothing. And in the end as the shadows cleared he was left to ponder these 'sights' that his friend was left to see during each battle. The sight of the dragons torn literally to shreds as blood soaked the field, as eyes grew dead and chunks of muscle and bone littered the ground with organs following in the mess. As Kaiba's white coat was miraculously left clean in the aftermath of the red rain that stained the ground, and as she continued to stare in horror, unable to speak...

Because in the end, to surpass this madness and hate she held... Her dragons were the sacrifice. ' _We have a winner!_ ' he dimly heard Isono shout at the side, the arena lowering as the vision cleared from sight. As tablets ground to dust to merge with the ground, as the remaining monsters on the field gave him a low nod and faded from sight in wisps of smoke on the wind...

As stone crumbled back into hologram within his sights, the ability fading until all that he saw finally vanished from the field completely.

' _Mutou Yugi moves on to the Final Match,_ ' Isono was announcing clearly. So he did. So he did... But for the moment, that was not what was on his mind. Rather as he looked across the field to his rival he found himself staring almost expectantly at the woman. Hate. It was a dead end, there was no doubt about that. Now however, the question was...

How persistent would that hate be... And would what happened today ever repeat itself as it apparently had all those years ago?

* * *

Blood fell to the ground in torrents around her in the face of that move. It fell with such force that a waterfall would have felt no different, despite the downpour lasting only a second or so. The battle was lost. Her tournament that had held so much promise had reduced itself to mere ashes now and she stood atop the pile defeated...

A pile formed of the blood, bone, and flesh of deceased monsters. Her dragons had cried in that blast. The shadows had whipped forward and cut them to shreds, and as she found herself reaching a hand toward the dragons' falling form, toward the bloodied shreds as they fell through the air, it passed between her fingers as a pile of ash. Vanished to the wind.

Gone.

All she ever wanted...

All she'd wanted... Was to defeat this one person. This one boy...

At the top of her tower where she would surpass him as the 'king'. Was that so much?

_Was that so much_?

_'Well... That's just ridiculous_ ,' a cruel voice in the back of her mind whispered, the remaining ashes from the dragon gathering in her open palm. _'You can't be the king. You're a woman; only men can be kings. You will always be 'second',_ ' it continued to taunt, Seto's wide eyes staring almost glassily at the pile of dust she held. ' _The closest thing you can do is be the Queen,_ ' the voice hissed, _'And that's not an option at all for you now is it? You have nothing now. It's over for you. You have nothing... It's...'_

Over. It was all over, all of it, and as she looked at the ashes that were slowly blowing off her hand she continued to stand in shock and silence. She lost. She _lost_. Again.

At the side she could hear her brother calling out to her, despite the fact that she'd told him to stay on the ship. She could hear him shouting out with tear filled cries at her reaction to the battle, but she couldn't make out the words right now. Her ultimate deck... Her ultimate monster, her greatest ally and asset in this battle, and it was destroyed. Rendered naught but shreds of flesh and dust on the ground.

There was no flaw in her strategy. She'd tested every possible angle her opponent could have taken against her. Her deck was perfect in every way. Perfect...

And yet... "I lost..."

"Yes," Yugi responded, taking a few steps forward as his opponent continued to stare at the ashes that had fallen to the ground. "I won; you lost," he repeated almost bluntly as he stood before her. "But we have no difference in skill," the boy finished. No difference? Gh... Hgh...

Her eyes snapped back into focus and with a red face she looked back up to her opponent, fists curling in and jaw clenching tight. "You... Is that supposed to be PITY?" she snarled, still not bothering to disguise her voice as a cold wind blew past her. To look down on her like this... He dared... He dared to do such a thing!

"No," he said flatly, expression unchanged. "It's the truth; I'm acknowledging your skill as a duelist," the boy told her, "And I'm acknowledging your power. But let me tell you this," he continued, the woman grinding her teeth as her opponent went on with another of the morals to match his end of story as he always did. "What you lost to... Was the monster called 'Hatred' that dwells within you."

The monster called 'hatred'? Really? She was half tempted to ask if he was joking. To send back a snark-filled comment and brush it off as she did before.

Yet instead she found herself momentarily staring at her rival in silence, allowing the boy to continue.

"The monsters on our cards are not the only monsters that exist," he began, the wind continuing to blow almost gently against them both. "The fact is," Yugi went on, "They pale in comparison to the demons that we ourselves can create. Despair, Jealousy, Rage... Our worst enemies know us from the inside out and lurk deep within," the boy half-whispered, "Lying in wait. And only when you defeat that," he continued, "Only when you've surpassed those obstacles within yourself, can you truly push this 'darkness' of yours behind and fight as you were meant to. Kaiba," he continued, pulling a card from his disk and holding it up, light gleaming across the shining black cover it held. "I would have lost if I didn't have this dragon in my deck... This card that Jonouchi lent me," Yugi explained calmly. "It's his power that allowed me to defeat you. Not mine. Our 'friendship'... Our power..." The power of...

...Tch! "The power of _WHAT_?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes in rage as she regained the stubborn sense of rage that had clung to her side for the duel and a large portion of her life. A fool. Nothing but a fool! "You're a complete moron," she spat, wind blasting about the field and stinging against whatever skin was left to the wind as it began to pick up speed. "I don't want to win if it means depending on others! I don't need 'friends'- I don't need anyone!" she snarled, palms cut once again by the nails of her fingers. "I win on my own terms," Seto growled, "And no one else's! But I digress," she went on, a card slipped out from her graveyard as she spoke. She'd lost after all...

What right did she have now?

"Boasting is the privilege of those who win," the woman muttered, eyes not even sparing a glance to the blue-rimmed card she held. "For now I'll keep quiet and step down. And with the ante rule," she continued, tossing the card toward her rival without even looking toward him to see if her rival caught the 'reward', "That makes this card yours!"

The soldier of the Obelisk, the God 'Sutekh'. "I accept your ante," the boy responded, Seto merely walking off the arena with grit teeth before briefly turning back. 'Accept'...

Tch...

"Tch... Yugi," she began, fists slowly going flat again as she spoke. "Now that you've beaten me I won't allow you to lose in the finals, understand?" she spat. A curt nod from the boy was all she needed, and with that she walked back toward the stairs, coat furling in the wind behind her as the door opened wide. Even with two God cards...

Even with that he was no match for Ra, she told herself. But then again she always predicted his defeat, didn't she? She'd always predicted his loss against her. So... If he could possibly reverse his chances, then who knew what would occur. He couldn't lose... Not to anyone else! He couldn't let anyone defeat him because that right was hers and hers alone but for now...

With the final match in ten minutes, there was a destruction sequence to begin for the tower. There was an explosion to time, to watch over. She had to make sure the jet was prepared for take off before the blast, that the blast wouldn't happen too early or too late. There was lots to do, but before she could head down the stairs...

It figured she would hear the others.

"WHOO! YEAH! YUGI!"

The woman turned from the stairway entrance, watching as a small crowd appeared from the second stair-well that the tower's top held. That voice...

Briefly her eyes widened, the currently shoe-less and shirtless blond pumping a fist in the air with zeal as he shouted. "YUGI! Y' DID IT!"

"J-JONOUCHI!"

"Hahaha! What, y' thought I'd die?" he laughed, shaking his head. Almost... She wasn't going to let him obviously but...

(The wound was gone, _where was the wound...!_ )

"Great job man!" Katsuya was laughing, clapping an arm around the boy's shoulders in celebration as he stared. "I knew y'd do it!" Of course he did. Did he have any faith in her at all? Any?

Moron. "...You should have stayed on the ship," she found herself muttering as she continued down the stairs, ignorant to the continued shouts on the field as Mokuba joined the crowd and ran toward that same stairwell. He should have never come back to this place... He should have remained on the gurney, ready for the helicopter when it arrived.

But it seemed that despite that he was here now. And in the end... It seemed the 'mutt' didn't need her anyways. Not when her power was still defeated by someone a foot shorter than herself. Not when all her power couldn't stop an invisible blade from striking him down, or explain when the victim recovered. Not when 'his' power appeared atop the field in the form of black scales and burning red-eyes, acting against even the rules of the game to strike her down.

He didn't need her. In fact...

It seemed like no one did.

Not even _him_. "Let's go Mokuba," she said flatly, the boy that had come up from behind stiffening from where he'd reached out to tell the woman he was there.

"N-Nee-sama," he muttered in surprise, "How did you- ...Ah, wait, don't you want to see Katsuya-nii?" he continued in protest. "He's completely recovered, it's incredible! You have to see-"

"...There's something I need to do," she said flatly, cutting her brother off as she walked down the stairs with the boy behind her. "We'll deal with him later." Later. Much later...

Her power might not have been enough to defeat Malik if this duel was any sign she thought to herself bitterly, face still burning red with the rage of her loss.

But that didn't mean she couldn't finish this tournament as 'planned' and salvage whatever pathetic ashes remained in this already long lost ruin.


	8. Anagnorisis

The fact was they'd made it to the field long before the duel had ended. It only took a few minutes to run up those stairs with the speed they'd been running at, and while they were obviously exhausted by the end of it they still had time to watch the last few moves. To watch as the Dark Magician became the Dark Paladin, his armor smoking over his form and radiating an energy that even those accompanying him seemed to feel. To watch as Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon divided and became the trio of monsters he was so familiar with, the three elegant and white scaled dragons who now snarled and stood protectively before their master.

To watch their bodies fall to the floor, Katsuya visibly grimacing at the sight while the others momentarily paused to stare after having humored his words and watched the battle in silence. After briefly thinking back to all the things they'd noticed over the past number of months, all the little details they were so unsure about...

They were also there long enough to listen.

To listen to Yugi's words to a friend and rival as he attempted to fight on and put sense in his opponent's mind, to listen in distaste as Seto's words echoed across the field, as she pushed the past she so detested away while her brother stared at the ground almost in tears and whispered...

"...There were other times weren't there? What about the happy times?"

They didn't occur to Seto, not at this moment. Certainly not afterwards either he noted, the smile he held in regards to Yugi's success fading as he looked to the woman's face. And as she stormed away from the field, cheers sounding around them and filling the air, the blond bowed his head. Mokuba could do nothing more than give his friend a saddened look before running toward her, nothing more than that as the woman ignored all else around. He knew that would happen.

It was something he only bitterly accepted, but he'd known...

"N-Nee-sama!" Mokuba cried, eyes wide as he ran toward his sister. None on the field hadn't heard her words, and none on the field didn't know who she was now. There was no need for a mask, no need for the facade... "Nee-sama, wait..! Katsuya-nii's awake, you have to see! You have to..."

But regardless with such a loss, Seto would want nothing to do with them. And he already knew that running after her wouldn't do anything right now. He already knew that she wouldn't talk to him, that she didn't want to talk to him, not right now. And besides- Ishizu was already walking after the two with her own expression of set determination, and he wasn't in the mood to interrupt a conversation he was already catching the beginning of.

A conversation of Priests and Queens and past lives that Seto was so trying to push from mind to simply calm down and breathe. So instead he ran toward his friend, unable to keep a grin from his face. Ran toward the friend he'd greeted from the 'opposite realm' while on the field, and the one who he'd come to watch fight to the end along side the dragon he'd left him with.

"Haha... WHOOOO! YEAH, YUGI!" he shouted, stumbling somewhat on scratched soles as he ran forward. His feet still stung from the stones he'd stepped on, but what did that matter? This fight was over, and the next had yet to come. He and the others all ran with shouts and cheers as their friend stepped off from the arena, the boy turning with wide eyes and a smile of his own while they moved to greet him. "YUGI!" he repeated loudly, laughing as he came to a stop before him. "Y' DID IT! HahaHA!"

"J-Jonouchi," the boy responded, quickly finding himself pulled over as his friend clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Y-You're!"

"What?" he laughed, pulling back to brush some hair from his eyes while the wind attempted to blow it right back. "Y' thought I died?" There was no answer to that but despite this he continued to smirk, merely shaking his head. "Y' did a great job man," he said somewhat quieter, his friend not once looking down at the now visible scar on his chest. "I knew you'd do it..."

Yugi stared back to the blond for a moment, before a small smile came over his own face and that of his lighter counterpart's as well. "Hn... Well... What took you so long?" he asked half-humorously, his friend shrugging in response as the 'light' Yugi laughed.

"Eh. You know me... I get distracted," he answered, briefly crossing his arms as he smirked. Of course, being distracted by voices in his head probably wasn't good but... Well, the voice hadn't come back since he woke up he noticed, so that was all good right?

"We didn't 'just get here' as it is," Otogi added, hands stowed in his pockets as he shrugged and smiled himself. "In fact," the teen went on, "We got here just before Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon appeared. But Jonouchi told us not to interrupt," he continued, glancing at the blond as he again shrugged.

"Hey... 'S an important fight," he said with a small smile, unable to quite hold it as wide as he normally would in response to his friend's win. "Couldn' let them d'srupt you guys... But hey," he added, voice raising in an attempt to lighten the mood. "You all see tha'?" Katsuya laughed. "My Red-Eyes, dukin' it out on th' field right t' th' end!"

The response from Honda was probably expected. "It's not your card idiot!"

At this he merely snorted, crossing his arms as the dragon in question misted around his friend's shoulder with a yawn. "Heh... Not now," he answered, glancing over at the monster as its tail flicked, "But he will be soon... Mark my words! I've jus' gotta face Yugi in one las' match b'fore I-"

"Is that even safe?" 'Anzu' muttered darkly, gold eyes flashing as Malik came forward to speak as well. "What happened on the field... I've been watching for a while," 'he' continued, the others listening in uncomfortable curiosity as the disembodied Egyptian went on. "When I used the Millennium Rod to... Force you into that fight for one," he began uncomfortably, "I wondered a number of things; the apparent control that the item held over you, when you spouted insults across the field... And then the sudden loss as it shattered completely. Following that," Malik told him with a swallow, "Your awareness toward anyone else controlled..."

"Awareness?" Honda cut in, shaking himself as he turned to the blond. "Hang on, you mean you knew she was still possessed!?" Gh- That was...

He bowed his head somewhat, keeping silent underneath the snarled retort. Eck...

"Ah... I'm over it now," Anzu hurriedly added with a cough, nonetheless turning to face Katsuya again as the blond bit his lip. "There really wasn't anything he could have said- if anything he would have made it worse. And in any case," the woman went on, "There's still more..."

"I can't be the only one who noticed after all," Malik continued, crossing 'his' arms and legs as a cool wind blew past. "It's one thing when all you have is a tattered jacket to go by but-"

"But you were speaking in Egyptian," Otogi finished flatly, turning to Katsuya as the blond remained silent. "Your words mirrored the 'other Malik's completely while on that field," he added. "In addition..."

"Everything you did..." Honda shook his head, disbelief coming over his face as he recalled the duel's events and the small habits he'd been passing off toward the back of his mind. "You never looked at your hand, never touched the buttons on the disk..."

"Never faltered, even under the shadows," Anzu continued, gaze dimming. "Moreover... With each hit... Each spell... Umi soaked you at the aquarium, not the whale's splashing- didn't it? And when 'Dark Malik's monsters attacked you..."

She cut her words short, turning away somewhat as the blond stared. What she was hesitating to say... That was pretty obvious, wasn't it?

" _Rnnnn..._ " Katsuya blinked, turning as Red-Eyes floated over from Yugi's shoulder to rub against the taller's cheek and perch on his own. " _Rrrnnnnn..._ " Red-Eyes... The blond stared, watching as the dragon continued to rub itself along his cheek and neck, black scales rubbing against his skin almost like sandpaper. Huh. If he didn't think it was 'cat-like' before...

"...Jonouchi," the other Yugi began, jarring his friend from his thoughts as he turned back. "What you said before on the airship... With the visions... And the 'shadow games'," he added, swallowing almost in unease as Katsuya looked back.

" _I know that you told us at least that much_ ," the 'real' Yugi continued, rubbing his arm. " _About seeing those visions, and about what you could see during the shadow games. But... If it's alright with you_ ," he whispered, not once turning from the blond's stare.

He didn't finish his sentence. Silence fell over the air, and as Katsuya looked to the ground once again he found himself loosely clenching and un-clenching his fists. The others... They were looking to him, and waiting for an answer now. Despite best efforts however they were not simply looking at his face. Their eyes instead moved toward the unmistakable scar on his chest, unable to completely keep away. Alongside the simple 'dent' of the sword's mark Ra's own was messy, leathery, and raw, and the fact was that it hadn't been there when his now destroyed shirt was wet enough to see through somewhat.

This was a scar he'd gained recently. They knew that. He knew that. They just wanted him to tell them himself rather than force it out of him, and with that in mind the blond gave a resigned sigh and brought his head back up to face the music.

"...You guys... Y' probably hate me righ' now, huh?" he finally muttered, hands stowed in his pockets as his eyes grew somewhat shadowed. "Keepin' somethin' like tha' a secret..."

There was a snort from the group, Katsuya unable to even give a wry smile in response. "Hah! 'Something like that' doesn't even cut it," Honda responded, shaking his head as he frowned. "...But that sure as hell doesn't mean we 'hate' you, idiot."

As the scowl he was faced with softened his sister nodded, stepping forward and gripping her arm tight. "We... We're just worried," Shizuka whispered, shaking her head. "When you came in from the field... All the others could say was that somehow, you'd been impaled by something. None of them could even see what it was. They saw a sword come out of a mirror and strike you," she continued, the grip on her arm tightening as her fist clenched, "But it wasn't until after that you reacted..."

"And when that happened," Otogi continued, eyes dimming somewhat at the memory. "After you stiffened, grabbing at something in the air..." A shudder seemed to pass over the crowd, as though each was waiting for another to speak first.

"...It was bad enough that we could see blood suddenly flying through the air," whispered Anzu, an audible swallow following after. "But after you'd already been bleeding from your hands and head, with cards being ripped out of them by nothing at all..." She shook her head, expression fraught with as much worry and fear as all the others.

"Jonouchi. This goes beyond an 'Oracle' and 'Seer'," Malik stated, 'his' gaze becoming serious as Anzu's eyes again gleamed gold. "It's one thing to divine the future, even if slightly," the teen explained, having obviously shared a few facts with the others on the airship, "And still another to see Shadow Games and other related matters concerning the Millennium Items. But 'Shadow' games only do so much. This..." The Egyptian sighed, shaking 'his' head before continuing. "Even if you were actually tied to an item," he told him with a swallow, "It wouldn't be able to do that to you." No.

"No... Yer right," he said quietly, looking away somewhat as his gaze was drawn to the field at their side. "It wouldn'..."

"But... Then how?" Shizuka finally shouted, voice picking up beyond the awkward and quieted tones the others held as they tried to answer that very question. "What's happening... What happened to you there, what's happening to you at all? What's happening, nihan?" What was happening?

…

Who the fuck knew any more.

"I don' know," he muttered, shaking his head as he sighed. "Hell... Y' don' think I'm scared myself?" he laughed nervously, the smile on his face visibly strained as he looked back to the others. "Th' firs' thing I got t' tell me something was wrong... Was a giant rottin' dragon at th' Duelist Kingdom. An' ev'n though I had a dream b'fore," he continued, the others growing silent as suspicions were partially explained and proven correct, "It wasn' till later that I found out it was the god damn future! All this," he whispered, holding a hand out and pausing as the dragon clambered from his shoulder to his palm. "Everythin' tha's happenin', everythin' I've been seein' these past weeks an' months... How was I s'pposed t' say anything?" he laughed, fingers closing in on his palm despite Red-Eyes' somewhat disgruntled cries. "With a duel waitin'," the blond continued to his friend. "With th' everyone goin' on abou' school an' classes an' everything goin' back t' normal while I'm sittin' there wishin' I could honestly say th' same... I mean... I can't control this," Katsuya snorted, shaking his head and opting not to gesture to the invisible dragon on his hand as he continued to rant and release long bottled annoyance. "I'm seein' monsters talkin' t' each other on th' field, tablets comin' out 'f the ground, that ain't normal!" Hell that was never normal, and while the others were trading glances he still had to wonder if they believed a word he said. "So..." So with all of that... "When everything tha' happens turns out t' be real," he whispered, bowing his head once again like some shamed dog before a crowd, "How the hell can I bring tha' kinda thing up, when there's real life t' worry about?"

There was silence for a moment, if only that. Some of those around looked almost guilted by his words, still trading awkward looks. But for the most part, only a split second after he'd said those things he-

- _CRACK!_

"OW! FUCK!" The blond stumbled back to the ground and on his back as a fist collided with his face, muffled curses and shouts coming from behind his hand as he hurriedly cupped a now bleeding nose. "Mnnh!" Shit- That hit probably broke his damn nose! He was lucky enough that Seto's hadn't already done that damn it! "What th' hell Honda!"

The teen snorted, shaking his head as he shook his somewhat bloodied fist. "Moron..! After everything we've done together!" he growled, looking directly into his friend's eyes, "You think this is something to clam up about?" As the others stared at Honda a moment the teen continued, face somewhat red with rage. "Come on... How long have we known each other?" he continued in protest. "How long have you known the others?" he pressed, quite obviously not aiming at superiority so much as he was making a point. "If you can't tell us when something like this happens," Honda went on, narrowing his eyes, "Then do you think we're going to miss it, and pass it off as 'nothing'?" Before his friend could even answer to the accusation Honda held an arm out toward the blond, continuing. "Jonouchi. Even if you turned out to be some kind of weird... Reincarnated monster from another world," he told him seriously, "I won't care." He...

Katsuya blinked, bringing his hands back down and staring at his friend as the taller smirked. "H-Honda..."

"I think 'monsters' are a bit of a stretch," Otogi chuckled, before putting a hand out himself and moving to stand within closer reach. "But while I can't say I've known you that long," the teen went on, "And you being able to speak certain dead languages better than me does annoy me somewhat..." He cut himself short, shaking his head as a few of the others gave him a look. "Well," he admitted with a slight shrug. "I can still say that quite honestly, I'll easily push that aside to stay friends with you."

"Hn! If you think you feel bad about him knowing the language better," Malik muttered, before blue/brown eyes came forth with an outstretched arm and a more feminine voice.

"Well... Even if they aren't necessarily his memories to use as basis," Anzu chuckled, shaking her head, "We both know you well enough to know you weren't trying to hurt us. If anything," she continued, her momentary possessor taking over as familiar doubled tones returned, "It feels more like you were trying to protect us at the time."

"Of course, that just makes you a bigger 'ahou'," his sister added dryly, wiping somewhat teary eyes and holding out her hand with the others despite a momentary scowl. "But... As long as you never do that again," she continued, teary smile replacing the expression, "Just as long as you promise that!"

"And I'm sure that my monsters won't attack you, if they didn't in our last match," the other Yugi continued, holding out his hand as the others continued to hold firm despite another obvious mention of abilities beyond their understanding. "If that was what you were so afraid of..."

" _Though that'd be rather silly,_ " Yugi chuckled, shaking his head and holding out his own hand for the blond to take. " _After all..._ "

' _We're friends aren't we?'_

They... "...Heh..." Of course. What was he thinking? "Y' guys really know how t' make a guy feel stupid, y' know tha'?" he muttered, nonetheless smiling and bringing his arm forward as it was grabbed and pulled back by the others. It wasn't as though they all had to stick their hands out but in the end after one did it, it was hard not to follow. "Sheesh..." He stumbled back onto his feet, resisting the urge to sniff despite the bloodied mess his nose was in at the moment. "Y' think I'm worried abou' losin' you guys? I know that isn' gonna happen! I jus'..."

The blond sighed, wide smile dimming somewhat. The wind around them was blowing now...

He shook himself before he could get to distracted, looking back to his friends. "You guys... You really gonna be able t' figure out what I'm tryin' t' say... When I try an' explain what's goin' on?" he asked, worry becoming more than evident in his expression.

There was a snort, Anzu laughing as she shook her head. "Hah! Of course not," she said matter-of-factly. "I don't think that's possible even with Malik's help," she added, eyes briefly flashing gold for the Egyptian to give his own nod as an affirmative.

"And in the end, only 'nihan' understands 'nihan'," his sister added with a slight shrug, still holding her brother's wrist despite the others having let go already. "That's how it is for everyone isn't it?"

" _The tricky part,_ " Yugi continued with his own slight smile and wink, "Is understanding just enough to be there when you need it." Eh?

The blond turned, staring as the 'ghost' on his friend's side also nodded. " _Exactly; that's what it means to be a friend, wouldn't you think?_ " he said with a smile, confusion further coming into place on Katsuya's face.

"G... Guys..."

There was a slight pause as the others stared at the empty space their friend was looking to, an awkward cough coming from one of the taller boys. "...Is... Is he talking to..."

"I think?" Anzu offered, scratching her cheek while the others shrugged. Erk-

They didn't know about that part yet. "Ah-..." Hahaha, after all that... He sighed, a grin slowly coming over his face. Well, in the end, they got the gist right? So all there was left to do was easy, wasn't it? "Heh! I guess y' all win then!" he laughed, scratching his head as he sighed. "But 'xactly how'm I s'pposed t' explain everythin' now..."

"Eh?" The others blinked, a few exasperated sighs and wry smiles answering the blond.

"Hn! Moron," Anzu muttered in response, crossing her arms. "The point was you not having to explain..!"

"Eh! But there's no way you guys would-"

"We just finished going over this," Otogi sighed as Honda nodded. "Do I need to punch you in the face again..?"

"AH-" What! "I'll be doin' that t' you first, Honda!"

"Ahhh... Nihan... Really..."

" _At least they're alright?_ " Yugi offered, his other half merely rubbing his head with a slight grimace.

"Hnnng..."

"Hnhnhn _hnhn_..."

Small time arguments instantly cut short as deep chuckling pierced the air, Anzu's eyes momentarily glowing golden as the 'woman' turned slowly to look at the source on opposite end of the arena. Just one sound and she was breaking into a sweat, clutching her arm like a safety blanket. Just one sound and her eyes widened, the doubled voice meeting the air one last time before it fled. "...Him," Malik forced out with a whisper, before the body shuddered and threw control back to Anzu.

"Gh... The 'other' Malik," she added with a swallow, stepping back despite herself as she held her jacket closed around her.

This... "Tch..." This 'demon'... "So yer still here!" Katsuya shouted, turning to face the Egyptian across from them with narrowed eyes. Briefly, just briefly the teen before them seemed to growl, eyes widening with something other than perverse and sadistic glee. "...Bastard," he hissed, watching as the expression returned to the maddened grin the other 'Malik' seemed to always have. Not an insult in the world to describe this piece of work.

"...Be careful," Anzu muttered from the side, eyes shadowed to the point none could tell who was speaking at the moment. Careful. That was right... It went without saying that the finals were due to begin any moment, didn't it? And as the wind continued to blow over the field their enemy's glaswegian grin grew further.

"Still alive are you, 'Oracle'..?" 'Malik' stepped forward onto the field, the others merely narrowing their eyes as the 'monster' grinned. 'Oracle'. Not even the right term he thought in the back of his mind, not bothering with the specific hows and whys on knowing those things any more. Who the hell knew in the end; all he knew was that the next person who called him 'oracle' instead of at least bothering with seer would get a punch in the face.

Provided calling him 'seer' didn't already do that he added idly, a low growl developing from both himself and the dragon that now sat on his shoulder as 'Malik' laughed.

"Hnhnhnhn... You're made of strong stuff," he sneered. "I expected nothing less than one who speaks with Gods..." Hn..!

"I'll show you 'God'," the blond growled under his breath, fists clenching even tighter. "Heck... Y' look strong now, but you were sure as hell singin' a differen' tune when I attacked y' with Gearfried!" he added with a shout, the caped blond tensing at the reminder of his previous match.

"Tch... A pity your attack never made contact then," he snarled, despite the constantly glowing eye on his brow revealing all to well the cut that Gearfried's blade left behind. "Because now you have the pleasure of watching while I inflict the same torment on your friend here!" That-

"You-" Katsuya's fists tightened further as he leered to the teen across the field, biting his tongue as he turned to the others. If he attacked now it wouldn't end well, his mind warned him. Not at all... "Damn it..." Stay on the sidelines, he told himself.

This wasn't his battle.

"Tch... Yugi," he said quickly, looking to his friend while Red-Eyes again traded 'partners'. "I hate t' ask this of y' but... In this last match..."

"I'll win," his friend responded flatly, already walking toward the arena to take his place once more. "Don't worry; you found your light," he said with a small smile, the blond swallowing as he nodded in response. "It's my turn to find mine; I'll defeat him. For Mai, for Ryuzaki... And for everyone," he continued determinedly. "And that's a promise." A promise he would keep no matter what...

No matter what. "Khnh _nhnhnhn_... Strong words from the 'nameless King'," 'Malik' hissed, crossing his arms as the gale on the tower intensified and raged around them. "But it's nothing in the face of RA! Your friend might have spared himself through idle conversation," he cackled, Katsuya merely growling from the sides once more, "But I doubt you'll be so lucky!" Tch...

Bastard... "Y' think tha' matters?" Katsuya retorted, those on the arena briefly turning as the floor rose above the crowd. "I ain't th' one talkin' t' th' God cards, moron! Th' Gods can decide tha' for th'mselves don't y' think?" As Yugi stared silently in response the others blinked, as though hesitating to ask a question.

"The god cards... Speaking?" Shizuka repeated almost quietly, the others merely staring. He'd mentioned monsters speaking after all. But in the end, nothing made sense any more right? And...

"In the end," the real Malik whispered, Anzu's voice doubling as the Egyptian spoke, "He was talking to someone right?" Yeah.

He was. But for now... There were other things to deal with. "YUGI!" the blond shouted, a dull cry of the countdown to the finals coming from the side where Isono stood. "Show 'm what y'r made 'f! For you an' me!" he continued, expression almost grave as he looked forward, "These finals 're nothin' but a passin' point! SO LET'S SHOW 'M WHAT Y' GOT!"

"Right!"

* * *

Her Battle City was 'over'.

"Nee-sama!" Mokuba was saying from behind, voice almost faded despite him being no more than half a foot from her side. "Nee-sama!" he called out, having given up on convincing her to see the blond that she had until that point been keeping an oddly persistent eye upon. "Don't you want to watch the final match?" The final match? Hah.

Her battle was over and it was time to bring the last ashes of this tournament to rest. There was no time to bother with pointless battles she knew the result of. There was no time to corner those on the arena with questions of intent, with accusations that she could scarcely even bring to mind in an intelligent manner. There was no time, her tournament was over, and with that it was time to leave it in the dust.

"It doesn't matter," she muttered almost flatly, already coming down the short flight of steps that would take them to the tower's own 'true' staircase down. "I already know what the results will be," she muttered, still making her way to the staircase down. "There's no point any more."

Mokuba of course, knew what she meant by that. "You... ...You think he'll lose?" her brother shouted, the sound of his footsteps coming to a stop. Perhaps if things had gone differently he wouldn't have reacted as strongly. He'd simply question her and move on, stubbornly denying the loss she'd taken. However...

Mokuba was Yugi's 'friend'. So in the end, he acknowledged his power...

...And believed in it. "You..." More than anything, he believed in it. "You think that he won't be able to beat him?" Possibly more than he believed in her. But for that 'power' to defeat 'Him'...

To defeat Malik...

No. She didn't think he would even come close to defeating Malik. Because the fact was, there was no chance of defeating Ra with the deck her rival held now, with the cards he'd faced her with. Because at this moment there was no hope to be rid of this threat that stood before them, this threat that destroyed all in its path. And had she dealt with it before...

Had she simply forgone the pathetic hope that standing by her tournament which she'd so desired to continue on...

Perhaps the casualties formed would never have happened.

"So this is what you plan to do now?" a calm if not familiarly aggravating voice called out from behind them. The siblings turned, her brother muttering 'Ishizu' under his breath as the woman came close with almost narrowed eyes. "...Malik's power has reached its zenith," she whispered almost warningly, eyes unblinking as she looked toward the taller woman that before her. "If he isn't stopped soon," the Egyptian continued, "It could potentially spell the deaths of millions."

She knew that, she thought with a growl. She knew that! But besides destroying this tower with him inside, there was nothing she could do about it! She certainly couldn't face him in a 'duel' at this point- that would be both ridiculous given the maniac's goal, and suicidal. And even challenging him physically would end in nothing but hell for those around it seemed...

How she knew she wasn't sure but the fact was she would not be tempting these uneasy thoughts of hers. "...Seto," Ishizu asked quietly, her target remaining silent as the woman spoke. "Yugi now holds the power of the Obelisk and of Osiris in his hands. Life and Death, Heaven and Earth," she continued, coming closer and closer until she stood beside the woman's brother. "Do you not believe this power capable enough to defeat Malik's own?"

The answer came without thought.

"No." While her brother looked up with an almost shocked frown she continued, eyes narrowed to match her already soured mood. "The probability is... Extremely low, to say the least of things," she continued almost bitterly. "Such is Ra's power." Such was the power of 'God'. But... "But... As you probably heard me say," the teen growled, turning back to face Ishizu somewhat, "It's no longer my concern. Battle City has ended; win or lose, in two hours I will be setting off explosive charges planted within this tower and sinking it into the seas."

"And the others then?" the woman asked cautiously, despite her expression remaining as calm and composed as it had each time they met. "What of their fates?" Fates...

HN! They were lucky, she supposed. "I'm not a murderer," she hissed, looking back toward where she'd prepared to leave down the stairs. "The helicopter will be here within the hour; there will be plenty of room for everyone to escape, but not him." Not the one they wanted dead.

Not the one who caused all of this, who killed and almost killed and would do so again with pleasure. Not the one who had almost killed...

Damn it why did she CARE! Regardless of words it no longer mattered. It was over and done with, she'd given her answer, and she would have plenty of time to think about things that she even cared to bother thinking of when she was leaving this god-forsaken place in her jet. Yet as Ishizu nodded, the two siblings again making their leave, her words forced the taller woman to stop once more.

"He needs you," she said plainly, Seto turning back with narrowed eyes. "Your friend- Yugi needs you." Friend?

Hah! Her eyes narrowed even further, a low and rumbling growl pushed back in lieu of simply getting the destruction of the building over with. "Tch... I know that you aren't using your 'millennium item' to give you revelations any more," she hissed, the bare neck of the Egyptian before her making the fact all too obvious. "If I didn't take your words with a grain of salt before, you can expect no better from this!" Not that the item cemented any beliefs as it were! There was no response to the snarled comment however, and with another snort the woman opened the stairwell door in an attempt to continue with what she had planned once again. "Let's go Mokuba," she muttered shortly. "We're going to activate the timer on the bombs and then we're leaving." And that was all, that was...

What language was this?

"...' _I sing this song to the God Osiris_ ,'" Ishizu abruptly whispered, all footsteps coming to a halt as the words rang through Seto's ears. This ancient and dead language, sounding nothing like Japanese or English...

What language was it, she found herself asking, despite her mind already knowing the answer. These words-

"' _I sing this song that he might guide this soul to peace_ '..." Gh... "A prayer to the dead," the woman stated calmly, her target's hand slowly tightening around the stair's rail while Mokuba stared. "The carvings on that tablet I revealed to you... I don't suppose you translated it yet, did you?" That tablet?

Despite herself the stone immediately came to mind, carvings coming into her vision and her tongue refusing to allow her to speak. Her eyes clouded over, etched words coming into her vision despite all the rage it left her with. Why should that stone, that accursed stone that only served to further irritate this competition more, matter now? The battle was over...

The battle was over and done, but who carved that tablet in the first place, she found herself asking, bits and pieces of seemingly obvious facts coming to mind as she shook. Were those on the stone equal, hands toward the other with their monsters at their side? If it was the pharaoh who carved it the enemy would be 'crushed', if it was the Priest it would be the reverse and yet...

And yet! "The tablet of thousands of years before, discovered in a Mortuary Temple belonging not to the nameless King, but to the Queen who commissioned its construction," Ishizu began, "The Queen known as 'The Mourner', the 'Black One', and more importantly as 'Settre', formerly 'Sett'. Those researching this tablet," she explained, "Have often wondered whether it was a battle among equals that was depicted upon its stone, or even a battle at all. Indeed," she went on, "The top of this tablet has been lost to time for many years. Still others," Ishizu continued plainly, "Have wondered what the Queen who succeeded this Pharaoh would have to do with such a battle in the first place. Supposedly," the woman told her, tone almost drawling as Seto looked back with now widening eyes, "It is a dedication and prayer to the late King before her... Signed by the 'true friend' of the King, who never even appeared to be mentioned prior her reign."

Friends of the throne, Queens with 'half' of her 'name'... "And what does this matter?" she finally spat, turning on Ishizu with rage while her brother flinched at the side. "So your tablet exists for no reason. What does it matter now, a stone relic from years long past? I have no interest in your stones, and I have no interest in your games," she snarled, gripping the railing tight. "So if I were you I would drop the subject now and wait for your lifeboat to arrive on shore..."

"Is that what you believe?" Ishizu asked, somehow still holding her calm and certain tone. "Despite the words that prove a lifelong friendship to the world and those who see it? I did not realize the connection between those on the stone for many years," she continued gravely, eyes beginning to narrow as she spoke. "For though my family has passed these secrets down for generation upon generation it is a secret that has been guarded with as much care as the name of the King himself. A fact erased from time completely, never occurring to me... Yet with one 'vision'," the woman whispered, daring to take a step closer as she pointed toward her target. "With one word that I heard across the field... This song makes sense. The Queen carved that stone, but before the Queen there was but one other with her face; and it seems that history has indeed repeated itself, for the 'High Priest' who vanished from history to take up 'her' rival's throne to appear before me now."

Silence reigned over the air as she continued to stare, eyes still wide despite her desire to pass the moment off as nothing and walk away at that very moment. She did not believe in fortune telling. She did not believe in myths and prophecies, in ghosts and dragons, in legendary objects of power, she did not believe in gods. She did not believe in reincarnation and in spirits with promises of thousands of years, in fragmented souls with the power of shadows, she did.

Not.

BELIEVE!

_Yet have you ever denied the power in the card you once held_ , a voice seemed to ask in the back of her mind, Seto grinding her teeth in annoyance. _Have you ever denied the power and terror inflicted upon you when_...

When...

"Exactly what do you think you're implying?" she growled lowly, still holding the disguised voice and facade as her brother continued to pale behind her in silence. As nightmares from long ago thrashed in the back of her mind, the woman bringing a hand to her head momentarily despite herself. All of this... Ridiculous! "A 'priest' who became a 'Queen'?” she snarled, the hand coming down to tighten into a fist once more. "There's a limit to accusation Ishizu; you've crossed that line."

"Have I?" she asked, eyebrows raising somewhat suggestively. "Your body language, albeit hidden, says otherwise. I have not relied on the powers of the tauk all my life," she continued, voice taking a dangerously severe tone while the very aura around her intensified. "Your brother is now looking to you with worried fear but not of your reaction," the woman began, Seto unable to glance down as she continued. "You yourself have already broken into a cold sweat, if the droplets I see on your face are any sign. I care not what gender or sex of being lies before me," Ishizu warned, her gaze lightening with a sigh. "The fact is simply hearing you shout to Yugi from the field was enough to shatter this facade; whether or not you decide to acknowledge that is up to you. Because whatever happens," the Egyptian continued, "I will still be required to refer to you as I always have once we reach the mainland of Japan. But regardless of whether you believe in this song, in those words, there is someone on that field who needs your help more than anything. The Gods guided you here. But they did not guide you to simply begin a battle; you started this," Ishizu told him. "Now finish it. Because your battle with the Pharaoh is more than simply age old stones and-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" she roared, the vocal shield dropped as she stared at the woman before her. As a headdress of gold came to her mind's eye, and as a face almost identical to Ishizu's own came to mind and as her rage merely continued to build in the face of hallucinations yet again. "Enough about Pharaoh's and Priests! I don't want to hear another word of it! I..."

For a split second she thought she was hallucinating again; if anything the only thing telling her otherwise amid the howl of sand and wind in her ears was the fact that Ishizu's lips were moving to speak. " _In roaring winds the corpse sinks to the ground... The vessel becomes bone, becomes sand, becomes dust... And even the brightest gold and the sharpest sword is subject to the poison in the sheath of time. Woe be to the Pharaoh_ ," Ishizu began almost coolly despite her words, Seto growing pale as the long dead language met the air and became acknowledged by memory rather than forsaken by it, " _He who has sacrificed his name for the names of others on the battle field that is time, on the battlefield of souls. As I who hold a name cry this song of battle, as I who have been granted a name cry this song of a friend... And I cry out to the Gods to Guide me to this place once more,_ " she finished, not taking her eyes away from the tall woman before her, " _Where souls may meet on the field still again_." This...

Those words...

"N...Nee-sama," Mokuba whispered, his sister motionless as the words pealed about the room in a faded echo. "Nee-sama?" he asked quietly, "What was she saying? I..."

Egyptian, her mind answered immediately, the woman herself remaining silent in a mix of shock and even detest. The language was Egyptian, from over three thousand years ago. She'd read it from Ra's card and she'd understood it as it met the air. The cursed language from a past that refused to abandon her, a past that refused to die, a past that...

"Face your heart," Ishizu told her, narrowing her eyes and holding her gaze with her target. "This tower you built, where 'souls meet'... Despite all that might have been put into it throughout its creation," she continued, "It is a sanctuary built by your spirit and your heart alone, a building that represents only as much as you believe it to. Reaching higher and higher into the air..."

"If only for another two hours," Seto countered with a snarl, face reddening somewhat even as her brother flinched behind her under tones he hadn't heard in a number of months. "You call this a sanctuary?" she spat, gesturing to the cold steel hall around them. "Then I will sink this 'SANCTUARY' to the bottom of the seas, never to be seen again! Enough of this!" the woman continued, turning as her coat flew behind her and pushing her way into the stair well. "I'm setting the timer for the explosion and leaving. Lets go, Mokuba!"

The door to the stair well opened but as she took a few steps downward she found herself looking back. There was only the sound of her footsteps. Mokuba hadn't moved. There was the sound of quiet breathing, and if she listened carefully perhaps a sniff...

"...What's wrong?" she shouted, momentarily unaware of the tone she was now using toward the boy as the sounds briefly froze before continuing. "We don't have much time to deal with this, come on!"

And still he didn't move, the woman continuing to frown as she stared. "...What you said on the field... Do you really believe all of that?" her brother whispered, not looking up from the ground as he held his arms close. He was shaking, he realized. But...

Why was he... "...What?"

The boy slowly looked up, his sister's expression softening as she caught sight of the tears rolling down his face. "I know... I know you hate them," he cried softly, trying as much as he could to keep the tears and chokes back. "That you hate Yugi, whether a little or more than anything," Mokuba continued. "I know that you don't like his friends... But you know... They're my friends too!" he cried, wiping his eyes. "They stand up for me, and I'll stand up for them! And just because of what happened in our past... Just because of those bad times!" Mokuba wept, "We don't have to make them suffer too! And I know that they'll escape," he cried loudly. "And I know you won't let them die, because no matter what you say you wouldn't do that kind of thing... But Yugi is right!" Mokuba wailed through the tears, shaking his head as he screamed. "All this hate, all this fighting... All you're doing is going back to those times you pushed away, to the old you... To the you that you were when Gozaburo was alive..."

This... "Mokuba," she began, trying to find something to say but finding nothing. "...I..."

"I made a wish," he sniffed, bowing his head again as his sister fell silent to listen. "On my birthday... I ran away with the others to go to a festival for Tanabata," he told her, "And I made a wish..." She knew that. She knew he'd left, she'd heard him plan it out, plan to leave for the day and return before his birthday but- "I... I wanted to make my wish come true on my own," Mokuba whispered, turning back to the woman above him with now red and puffy eyes as tears continued to pour. "I thought that no matter what I'd be able to do it, but in the end I can't do it alone. The you that I've never forgotten... The you that held my hand and played with me in the park, and played chess with me... The you that you were before we met Gozaburo... I want you to promise me!" he cried, shaking yet again and attempting to put up a more serious and 'courageous' expression. "Promise me that when this tower blows up," he shouted, "It won't be because you're pushing everything away again... I want you to promise me that when this tower is gone, so will your grudge! That the hate, and the pain, it'll go away!"

Just like that? she almost asked in her mind. Just like-

"Above everything... Nee-sama, more than anything," Mokuba wept, nails digging into his arms, "I just want to see you smile again... Like you did when we were watching those flowers on hanami... Like you did when we were little... That's all I wished for," he whispered as his voice fell to barely audible ranges. "That's all... I..."

Mokuba... Seto's eyes grew somewhat shadowed, her expression softening as she moved close to the boy. She'd yelled at him. How could she have yelled at him, she...

"Mokuba," she whispered, slowly stooping down to bring a hand to the boy's face. "...Stop crying," she said after a few moments, brushing some hair from his eyes. "There's no need to cry. You..."

"Snnf... Hng..." He was still crying... But he was at least trying to stop. Right? ...It certainly didn't make her feel any better in the end. "Just... Promise me," the boy repeated, wiping his eyes and attempting to regain a somewhat serious expression under his sister's gaze. "Nee-sama... Please, just promise me..." Promise...

He said that now, that was true. Yugi said that himself, and when she thought about it what were the chances that Katsuya agreed with that? This hate of hers... It really did drag her down didn't it she thought bitterly. As it had pulled her adoptive father to the grave in that virtual world...

So was it seemingly doing the same to her now. ' _You'll only hurt everyone around you!_ '

She's shouted at her brother. Scared him... And yet even with that knowledge, she asked herself. Even with that... Would she be able to let that go? Would she be able to keep this promise...

Even if this tower sank? "The battle begins in five more minutes," Ishizu muttered from behind them, the woman crossing her arms and waiting for a response. Five minutes...

How did she know-

Briefly as she stood again her eyebrows raised, Seto catching a glimpse of a watch gripped in Ishizu's hands. The Egyptian as well blinked somewhat owlishly in response, following the taller woman's stare. "...I borrowed this from Ryuzaki-san before he chased after my brother," she said plainly, fingering the somewhat worn watch somewhat. "I'd thought it would help to know how much time I have to prevent anyone's death." Well...

That explained it she supposed. She snorted lightly, shaking her head. Whatever then. The woman walked back toward the stairs, Ishizu and Mokuba both following behind despite the latter's momentary muttering of 'should you really follow'. "Hn... I don't have time to deal with this anyways," she muttered, quickly coming to a panel on the side of the stairs as the others stood behind her. From this point on there was nothing but an elevator to the jet hangar. And just slightly above that hangar, the room where the main computer sat.

Nonetheless to begin detonation was only a matter of activating one of the 'emergency' buttons, and the closest one was right here. With a calm and swift movement the small metal hammer beside the glass case was grabbed, slammed into the shield before being dropped. The button was pushed...

And beneath it a timer that read 'Two Hours' began to speed downward, seconds ticking away while '1:59' sat beside those seconds. The detonator was activated.

There was nothing more to do here. "Alright... Let's go," she said calmly, looking down to her brother. "We have a plane to catch..."

The boy nodded, pausing a moment as his sister moved toward the lift. "Nee-sama?" Mokuba said with a swallow. "You're sure the helicopter will come on time right..?" Of course. It was due any moment now after all. Give it just a minute or two and the staff would be taking the comatose on board in fact...

"They'll be fine," she told him with that in mind, repeating it mentally to prevent the slightest thought of doubt entering it. "Two hours is plenty of time for them to escape after Yugi loses," Seto continued, "And provided someone warns them of this fact, all we'll deal with are the necessary casualties," the woman added, giving Ishizu one last look as the woman shook her head.

Hn? Now what was that about? "You still believe Yugi will fail," Ishizu said flatly, Mokuba as well giving his sister a reproachful look. Believe? Hn!

It was far more than that! "I _know_ he'll lose," Seto muttered darkly, narrowing her eyes. "With his deck I would say his chances of a win are 3%; provided Ra is never summoned for its one-turn kill," she added, turning away from Ishizu and continuing. "Ra's power... Is fathoms above that of the other Gods; there's one way to stop it, one card," the woman explained, expression darkening despite her thoughts, "But while I have it with me now the chances rise by a mere 20%. There is no hope," Seto repeated, eyes still narrowed in their usual 'glare'. "So stop trying to find it. You yourself know your so called 'fate' after all," she continued. "Entering this tournament to 'save' your brother from himself... You wanted to defeat him with your own hands didn't you?" she went on, "To the point where you tried to use your occult toys to bring my own defeat... We're not so different," the woman hissed. "But now that he's out of both our hands, with your 'hope' a mere 3% possibility of a win, just what do you plan to do now?"

"...I never entered this tournament with the 100% belief I would succeed," Ishizu whispered, bowing her head. As Seto's frown deepened somewhat with confusion the woman continued, expression never once betraying her words. "My visions never travelled further than perhaps an hour or so ahead in time after all. And in the very end even as the Pharaoh fights, I am prepared for the absolute worst. If my brother cannot be saved," she continued stonily, "Then I will make sure that our 'curse' dies with us. Rishid will be able to aid the Pharaoh in his goals... As will his friends," the Egyptian added cryptically. "So while they escape I have given myself no other choice than to stay on this island until it sinks, as you eloquently put it, to the depths of the seas..." She-

Narrowed eyes softened as a half-year old memory came to mind, Seto shaking her head just slightly. "How... How can you do that?" she found herself muttering, staring almost in disbelief. If her brother could not be saved... If her brother did not break from this second persona he had created for his own protection... Then...

Just as she herself had on the walls of the Duelist Kingdom...

' _I have nothing more to lose,_ ' she remembered herself whispering. ' _If you hit me again... You win this game. And I die._ ' Silence.

More silence.

Time was ticking away but with a sudden storm of footsteps and renewed energy the woman charged back up the stairs, coat billowing behind her as the others followed behind.

"A-Ah... Nee-sama!" Mokuba called out with wide eyes, stumbling somewhat as both he and Ishizu ran up behind the woman. "What about-"

"Just over 1/5 of a chance to win the match with this card!" Seto called out somewhat loudly, pulling the card she'd set aside out from her pocket with an odd and almost non-existent smirk on her face despite all attempts to hide the expression. "A duel like this... How could I think of missing it?" she continued stiffly, gripping the card tightly in her fingers. Calls to evacuate were already dully sounding through the halls below, sirens blaring while red lights flashed...

Ishizu's eyes widened with surprise but nonetheless her expression calmed, as though in the end she'd expected this reaction from the start. What was it that Yugi had said she thought to herself as she ran up those stairs? ' _I won using his power. I won through our power..._ ' The power of 'friendship', a ridiculous concept that only worked in children's anime. A power that was never meant to exist anywhere but fictional realms and would always fail in the real world, always shatter naïve hopes of those who dared to trust in it.

And yet that same power in the end had defeated her hadn't it? That power...

The door to the staircase opened and with wide eyes the others on the field turned, some bearing frowns and others simply staring in confusion. This card she held in her hand... This one card that merely raised the chances by a fraction...

The card that had to win this fight! Could he perform a 'miracle' she asked herself, expression naught but impersonal stone as she looked to the now raised arena and stepped toward it. Could he take those chances and, as he had in her fight, turn them in his favor? The boy on the field looked down with wide eyes, and there was nothing but silence over the air as she made her decision. Fine she decided, taking the card in her hand and taking aim.

Let his defeat prove him wrong! Let this 'power' she lent him prove that there were no miracles, she thought to herself bitterly, let it prove that there was no 'power' in the bonds between 'friends'!

"YUGI!" she snarled, tossing the card up to the arena with precision as the boy continued to stare. "TAKE THIS!"

Her rival's reaction was more than apparent as he caught the slip of card; why was she doing this? What did it do? What was the point, was it good or was it bad? He hadn't even looked at it properly yet; he was simply staring, unblinking at the woman below as she returned the gaze. Hn...

The only spell card that would save him in this match. Something that Yugi likely didn't know; a test then. A test of powers. This was her power to give now...

A 22% chance of a win, provided he could find out how to use it.

If he used it. "It's up to you," she announced clearly. "Use that card in your deck, or leave it out completely. It could help," she continued with a slight shrug and sneer, "Or it could sabotage you completely. This is 'me' after all," she added with a smirk. "I would well just be teaching you not to be so trusting..." Hnhnhnhn...

But then again, it wouldn't be 'Yugi' if he wasn't, now would it? "...Thank you," he responded plainly, slipping the card in the deck as it shuffled without even looking at it. That quick? Didn't it just figure she spat in her mind, smirk falling somewhat as incredulity came to mind regardless. "I'll believe you," the boy continued determinedly, giving his 'friend' a nod. "More importantly, I'll defeat Malik; understand, Kaiba?"

With those words a gale passed over the arena, and from the other end of the tower the crowd stared. She could see Katsuya there with a slight smile that became a confident smirk, her own eyes briefly narrowing in annoyance. Beside him the others were staring with suspicion, surprise...

Not that she cared. As for the blond... The idiot wasn't even wearing shoes, he'd managed to get his nose broken somehow, and while he had an excuse for the shirt he could have at least borrowed a jacket, or! ...Or...

…

This was the first time she saw that scar she noted, her face twitching only slightly in response.

...She'd rather not see it, if she didn't have to. As dim eyes looked across the field Ishizu and Mokuba both came to her side, the silent question of 'why' never meeting the air in the end. The duel would begin in just a minute now. Any minute...

"Ishizu," she murmured, arms crossed as she leaned back against the tall railing wall and turned her attention back to the field. "I'll say it again; that stone tablet means nothing to me. Civilizations are built from time and the ashes of countless people," Seto explained, "Remembered by artifacts formed only by the millions of the forgotten dead. Even then," she went on, "They're lost to time, leaving mere guesses at the lives they held. I have no connection," the woman went on, "To someone who lived thousands of years ago. None."

"Is that so?" Ishizu responded quietly. "...I believe you're wrong." Wrong? "Kingdoms rise and fall... Civilizations come and go, that is very true," she continued, the wind blowing her shawl back from her hair as she looked back to the taller woman beside her. "But the human spirit is eternal; it lasts even through this."

Oh really now? "Hn!" Bullshit, she told herself. Complete bullshit. 'Reincarnation'... Just something used in romantic series as a plot twist with immortal love interests. None of this was real. And none of it ever would be. "Shadow games and ancient prophecies... Religion and superstitions are built from people wishing that things like eternal spirits were real, with a 'darkness' and a 'light' formed to bring order in that mess. And yet science in all its forms proves time and time again that these things do not exist. Miracles, do not exist. I might have lent him this card," Seto continued, looking back to the woman from the corner of her eye, "But all this will prove in the end is that 68% against 22% needs no time to calculate. One will win, and the other will not. If Yugi loses," she continued, not bothering to think on the fact that she had said 'if' rather than 'when', "If your brother cannot be 'saved'," the woman went on, "What will happen then? You said you would remain behind... So then you realize that your 'hope' is baseless?"

"No," the Egyptian answered plainly, her response coming almost the instant her friend finished speaking. "It's not baseless in anyway. You may doubt any hope that you gain in this battle," she continued almost sympathetically, "But I believe in Yugi completely. I believe that his power will be able to destroy the evil persona controlling his body now." And that was that.

Believing that the so-called 'power of friendship' would overcome her brother's 'DID' and complete and obvious insanity...

Ridiculous, she told herself. Completely ridiculous. And yet as the call for battle to begin occurred, she did nothing but remain silent.

And watch...

Waiting for the moron to prove her wrong as he always did.

* * *

"So..."

Sooo... Here came the interrogation for real this time.

"So?" came the repeated statement, Katsuya holding back a sigh in response.

"You can _really_ see whatever happens on the field in those shadow games?" Honda asked as their friend prepared for his next match, the crowd evidently choosing not to address the long stare he'd aimed toward Seto when the woman arrived.

"Feel too actually," he muttered, before turning with a sigh. The blond bit his lip as he looked over the somewhat expectant expressions his friends had as a result, before shrugging and continuing to explain. "Or somethin' like tha' at least; truth be told," he admitted somewhat darkly, "Feels more like every game's a shadow game from my end..." As the others continued to stare in response he again sighed, scratching his head in a show of exaggerated exasperation while he frowned. "I mean... Th' shadow game I had w's hell," Katsuya muttered admittedly, "But th' only thing tha' happened outside th' ordinary was th' monsters not talkin' or anythin', an' as it was-"

"The monsters can _talk_?" Anzu cut in incredulously, the others briefly looking to her as she frowned.

"Hey," Malik cut in, the movement of an accusing point nonetheless coming quite fluidly. "You can't tell me you were just going to take that one."

Shizuka nodded, scratching her cheek somewhat nervously before giving her brother a shrugging response. "You're right... But even the question alone sounds ridiculous..." O-Oiii...

What was with these faces... "I thought y' guys were gonna hang in an' not think I was insane," he muttered. Seriously, come on...

"We aren't," Otogi quickly told him, the statement feeling a little too swiftly put as he held his hands out in defense. "I mean... The fact is," he added with an uneasy laugh, "The monsters were inspired by carved tablets so..."

The group turned to Anzu, the woman jumping as the stares were suddenly turned on her. "E-Eh..? You want to ask me?"

"That or Malik," Honda said with a dry shrug, "Doesn't really matter much if you both have the same memory..."

"Hn!" The boys tensed at the snort they received in response, Shizuka just staring blankly as Anzu's eyes flashed gold once again. "It matters plenty," Malik growled, looking away with narrowed eyes. "It isn't as though we can just pull each other's memories at will... We have to focus."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Anzu muttered dryly, before the spirit she shared her body with answered.

"It means they're better off asking me." Great they were arguing.

"Heh?" Of all the times, they picked now to argue...

"Well it's true isn't it?"

"Awwwwwh... C'mon guys," Katsuya groaned, pulling somewhat at his hair as he rubbed his head. "Every time Malik' switches t' talk I get a double voice comin' over, jus'... Jus' figure out who's talkin' already," he grumbled, continuing to rub his somewhat aching head.

There was a brief pause, before the body coughed and nodded with a response from both 'halves'. "Right... The fact is," Malik began somewhat awkwardly, "We don't know much about 'living' monsters..."

"Regardless however," Anzu continued, taking her friend's wince in response to the doubled voice as a cue to take over in the Egyptian's stead, "There's always been a certain power tied to this game. To say that the monsters themselves are alive isn't at all a stretch, and Yugi's said that from the start after all..." Yeah! There was that wasn't there?

"If you say so," Honda muttered, before looking up to the field. "Hn... They're about to start," he noted. So they were...

"Two God cards against Ra. ...And you spoke with that one?" Otogi added questioningly, the blond at the side nodding seriously. There was a time and place for clamming up in embarrassment regarding things that sounded and felt completely insane...

And the fact was, this wasn't it. Although the topic in itself was a little... Strange. "That's right," his sister was muttering. "The others said you were chanting the same summoning ritual that 'Dark Malik' was..." Er... Yeah, he didn't really know where he got-

"Probably a 'locked memory'," said Malik, ignoring the wince that came from Katsuya in response to another doubled voice. "From what I got watching Kaiba-san and my sister's match, Kaiba-san has been dealing with the same thing, so it isn't exclusive." Ah...

Really? "Seto-chan is-"

"You know," Honda cut in with a groan, "I don't think any of us are going to get over you calling her 'chan'..."

"I don't think I can get over her being a 'her'," Otogi added dryly, only to receive a slight warning glare from Shizuka in response.

"Not now."

Malik merely nodded as the others continued arguing, crossing 'his' arms and explaining further. "Well... Think about it," the Egyptian told him. "The tablet has the High Priest and the Pharaoh both; and I know for a fact that you saw it," he added, gesturing to Katsuya as he nodded.

"Er... Y-Yeah," he muttered, eyebrows raised. It did but... "But I didn' think..." He shook his head, looking back to the field. "Whatever..." The tablet didn't matter right now after all; and even if Seto was having weird flashbacks, she sure as hell wouldn't tell him. So. "Th' fact is," he decided flatly, "If there's anythin' Seto-chan's right abou' it's tha' Ra's one tough guy t' take on. Tha' card... It'll help," Katsuya admitted, "But it ain't gonna be easy..."

The others turned, Otogi in particular seeming to latch onto the comment. "You know what the card is?"

"Gh-!" C-Come on, were they seriously going to ask about every little thing he said now! "Y ... You guys were s'pposed t' make th's weird crap easier on me, not make me think about it more," Katsuya groaned. They merely shrugged, a number of them shaking their heads in response.

"It's not like we can really help it..." Hnnnnggg... Like hell that was really the point! On the field the two finalists were caught in banter, challenges and insults called throughout the air. Decks were shuffling within the duel disks and challenges were being issued.

The duel was about to begin. _"THE FINAL MATCH WILL NOW COMMENCE_ ," Isono announced, raising a hand high from the sidelines. " _MUTOU YUGI, VS ISHTAR MALIK... BEGIN_!"

With those words cheers hit the air in an instant, leaving little room for the competitors themselves to speak. "KICK HIS ASS," Katsuya roared, throwing a fist into the air. "DON' LET RA INTIMIDATE YAH!"

"GO FOR IT YUGI!"

"FOR MAI-HAN," Shizuka cried out, "AND FOR KEICHI!"

"FOR EVERYONE!"

"YOU CAN DO IT!"

Those on the field nodded, and drew the cards of their hand. "DUEL!"

And the match began. And the shadows hit the air. And just like before...

Hell began coming down to earth. "The sky's going black," Shizuka whispered, pulling back from the arena with a swallow. "This feeling..." According to the others it was a dark, suffocating feeling, crushing their lungs, putting pressure on their entire being.

"Shadow game," muttered Otogi, as though that would explain each and every symptom completely. The teen gave a slight shudder, attempting to shake the feeling off before looking back as Katsuya grit his teeth. "Hey... I thought this didn't affect you," he stated with a frown. "Why are you..."

"It doesn'," he answered stiffly, jaw clenching as his headache began to worsen. "But..." But the screams...

' _The Pharaoh... THE PHARAOH!_ ' they wailed, shades of faceless beings swarming the air and misting in and out of the shadows as they screamed. ' _ACCURSED PRINCE_ , ' the spirits sneered, ' _LOOK WHAT YOUR ANCESTORS WROUGHT!'_

_'Save us... SAVE US!'_ the 'nicer' ones cried, fogged hands clawing at their faces as they wept. ' _DELIVER US FROM THIS HELL_!'

Yugi couldn't hear them let alone answer their cries however. And so, they continued to scream...

  
  
' _WHY...'_

_WHY!_ As the others stared he shook it off, instead looking toward the field. He couldn't pay attention to these voices; not when he didn't know who they were, and not when he didn't know how to 'help'.

"Game hasn' set up yet," he said with a swallow, watching as the shadows continued to furl through the air. If it had the screams would have silenced to some extent, allowing them to watch.

As it was there were limits to sharing this secret; the voices affected little more than his nightmares, and he'd rather keep those to himself. There was enough he'd shared already without confusing the hell out of his friends. And turning his attentions across from them the millennium items now gleamed with a golden light, and the 'other' Malik chuckled darkly.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... This will be the greatest game to ever come to the world of mortals," 'Malik' sneered, the real one seemingly locked within Anzu's body and giving no response to the cold that filled the air. "Darkness will cover the earth, the gates to hell will open, and our battle rests in its mouth... Hnhnhnhnhn..." The crowd and Yugi both gave a shudder, watching as the 'monster' continued to chuckle. "Can you see it?" he hissed, lightning cracking through the air as the clouds converged in the sky. "The sacrificial offering?" Sacrifice..?

At that moment Yugi's eyes widened considerably, and in the center of the field came a pyramid of glass. An hourglass, he realized soon enough. Two pyramids stacked upon each other, the top half emptied and the other...

"Mai," Katsuya whispered as the shadows cleared from around the device, the others frowning as they looked from Yugi to the field to their friend. "M... MAI!"

"No!" the boy cried, his own eyes widening with fear as well. They could both see it. Those a part of the game and Katsuya himself. They both saw it...

The insects that had eaten their way into Mai's body from the moment she was entrapped in her penalty, the insects that were now devouring her flesh. Bits of her bone could be seen through the somehow stainless glass, and between skirt and corset was a mess of half eaten organs as the bugs flew in and out of the holes of what was still a living body. The flesh eating insects, each with the accursed eye on their back, scuttled across the bones and muscles eating as they saw fit...

And by this point it was evident that Mai had given up on screaming through the pain. She'd given up hope completely, laborious breathing the only sign of life in her otherwise still and 'sleeping' body as tearstains dried across her face. "Ghn..." Of all that he'd seen on the field... Of all he'd seen up until this point...

Maybe it was because he knew the monsters would come back at the end of the battle. Because he knew that when the duel finished, they'd be healed, and prepared for whatever would come next. Though the pain of what occurred on the field was harsh, he could push through to the end of the duel. Even when it was inflicted upon himself... Whatever happened within the duel would heal in the end, current scars excluded, and if not with the end of the fight itself then soon after.

But Mai was no monster. She was no being of 'shadows', and more importantly Mai was a friend. And this penalty that Malik's darker half had inflicted...

Whatever 'Malik' had said about the woman as her life faded before his eyes they did not hear; for at that moment, another scream tore through the air.

"Oh no..." It didn't start that way of course. "Oh no no no no no..." It was gradual, and simply had them frowning as they slowly looked back to Anzu, the woman slowly pushing back against the walls as her eyes flew across the field, seemingly searching for something that they could not see. And finally, as the mutters reached a half insane and feverish mantra the woman wailed, eyes returning to their original colour as she stared at empty space. "No... NO, He's GONE!" she screeched, holding her head with wide and horrified eyes as she shook. "Malik... Malik's gone!" Anzu screamed hysterically, the sudden 'tear' leaving far more than just worry in its place. "He... He-"

"Oh hell," Katsuya hissed, swallowing as he looked back to the field. He didn't need a flash to tell him what was going on now, and he sure as hell didn't need 'Malik's words as he proudly announced the presence of another sacrifice...

The screams were more than enough to deal with that. "A-AIBOU!" the other Yugi abruptly screamed. "AIBOU!"

" _W... What is this!?_ " his partner asked in response, voice high with fear and confusion both as the shadows themselves pinned the light Yugi against the sky itself. " _What's going on_!" he shouted hurriedly, pulling at the shadows but receiving not even a small bit of freedom in response.

"A-AIBOU..!" Shit...

"Yugi..!" Shit.

SHIT. The others looked from Anzu and back to the field as the woman's screams slowly calmed, following Katsuya's gaze only to see nothing in the air. Between panicked screams and wide eyes however it was obvious something was wrong.

And that 'something' was a something that he and those dueling were the only ones privy to. "What's going on?" Honda pressed, grabbing his friend's shoulder and shaking him roughly as Katsuya was pulled from his petrified state. "You can see can't you?" he continued fearfully. "You can see what's going on up there right!"

"He..." The blond swallowed shaking his head and continuing to stare at the field as he swallowed. "Th' other Yugi... He's not th' only one there righ' now," he muttered swiftly, "He-"

"We got that," Otogi cut in, "His shouts are telling us as much... But what's going on?" he continued.

"Let me get to it!" he roared back, those across the tower looking over as their friend turned to face the others with wide and almost rage filled eyes. The gaze calmed and again he shook his head, absently rubbing the shoulder Honda had released before explaining. "Yugi... Th' normal Yugi," Katsuya began. "He... He's bein' held as some kinda tribute he..."

"It's MY turn," 'Malik' cackled, mad laughter filling the air as he spoke. "You know what kind of game this is?" asked the Egyptian as he laughed. "You're about to find out! I summon the Vampiric Leech," he snarled with a wide grin, baring almost feral teeth to his opponent. The smoke rose through the air the instant the card was set, and as the tablet rose from the dust a tentacled and bloodied 'slug' made its way from the stone. The monster's tentacles flailed as numbers and abilities came to Katsuya's mind, and with the summoning complete its master continued. "Moreover... Allow me to demonstrate by making the first attack!" The first attack!

With a cold shudder he realized just what was going on, his thoughts in the last match and the words of his monsters during his battle against Yugi on the pier coming to mind. The rules of play existed true...

But that didn't mean they couldn't be broken."That's illegal," Shizuka was whispering in protest, shaking her head as the order to attack was made. "It's the first move," she continued almost with a shout, "He can't-"

"Normal rules don' apply in th's kinda game," her brother responded, swallowing as the leech squealed in anticipation. "They don-"

As tentacles shot through the air his words were cut drastically short, a scream replacing it. "G-GHHAAAAAAGGHHHH!"

The blond averted his eyes with grit teeth, those beside him continuing to stare at the field in distaste as the monster attacked their friend. They couldn't see what he could, he thought with a nauseated swallow, slowly opening his eyes to stare at the ground. They couldn't see...

While it appeared the hologram merely passed through their friend's face, the tentacles bored through flesh as though it were nothing. And though the wounds did not bleed as they would have in reality the shadow game allowed them to exist nonetheless, smearing what little blood was brought to the field across the victim's face. The two tentacles from the ordinarily weak monster had ripped through Yugi's cheeks with disgusting ease, and as the tentacles retreated back to the slug's side of the field the boy doubled over to hold his now bloodied and pain filled face. But his screams, Katsuya realized with horror, turning back to the field as an image flashed in his mind.

His screams were not the only ones now filling the air, particularly not when the 'other Yugi's shouts were already coming to a stop. _'Do you like that?'_ 'Malik' had taunted, a maddening grin on his face. _'The pain you feel when they attack... You'll notice your wounds are healing,_ ' he continued with a shrug, Yugi's cheeks repairing in a mess of re-growing vessels and flesh while the boy stared. _'But take a look... At your sacrifice_.'

'Yugi's screams were not the only ones, but it was certainly _Yugi_ that was shouting. " _H-Hhahhhh...HHAAAAAAHHHHHH! HAAAAHHHHHHH_!"

Again screams filled the air but this time it was shadowed and hidden from most of the field, the only sign of cries in the air the shouts given in response, and the look upon the Katsuya and 'Yugi's faces as the crowd stared ' _What's happening_?' the others were asking him, blood draining from their friend's face as greedy souls pulled and pried at vulnerable flesh. ' _What's happening_..!'

"AIBOU!" 'Yugi' screamed.

"What's going on!" his friends cried in response.

And 'Malik' continued laughing madly, "NHNHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What do you see?" they continued to press.

And the screams continued to fill the air... ' _Free us, free us..! GIVE US SOMETHING, ANYTHING..!_ ' Nggh...

Ngggh... Just...

"Stop ASKIN'!"

The shouts cut short as the blond held his head, staring at the ground and attempting in vain to calm his breathing. Attempting to do more than just stare at the ground with wide eyes as the screams slowly died, replaced by weak breathing as the shadows around them feasted on whatever fragments of soul they'd managed to steal away. "He... His leg 's gone," he finally said quietly, choking on his words and slowly looking back to the field. "Alrigh'? Th' sacrifices are tied t' their life points an-" And because of that...

"Hold on," one of the others cut in. "If Yugi is his other self's sacrifice," Otogi said with a swallow, "Doesn't that mean... That the other sacrifice is..."

It was only then that he could hear his weakened breathing, Katsuya realized stiffly.

" _Gh... Nnnhhhaaa-hahhhhhhhh_..."

The sound of slow and pained breaths as they came through the air, and while the others continued to stare at him in confusion Katsuya bit his lip. The force of ripping an already fragmented soul from Anzu's body had rendered Malik almost dead. In fact until now he'd wondered if he was. He was already weak enough as it was using Anzu's body as a mouthpiece, but now that he was back in his own body and overshadowed by his second persona...

"Tha's righ'," he muttered with a swallow. "That's where he went... That's where Malik is," the blond whispered, still holding his head as he ground his teeth and forced himself to ignore dull screams floating around the air. "Yugi's th' 'other Yugi's sacrifice... But th' 'other Malik doesn' need t' care abou' his..."

"So then... If Yugi attacks," his sister said with a swallow, putting the pieces together just as quickly as she paled. "And hits Malik..."

"We already figured that the 'other Malik' was a masochist," Otogi growled, clenching his fists in a quickly growing rage. "If the players feel pain while the 'sacrifices' suffer the actual loss," he continued bitterly, "Then this only works further in his favor."

"Gh... This isn't right," Anzu muttered, clutching her head as the others looked back. The woman was still recovering from the sudden shock to her system. Nonetheless, she was recovering much quicker than Katsuya thought most would. "In Malik's memories," she explained, grimacing as she attempted to find what the Egyptian couldn't simply tell her now, "In his memories, the shadow games are supposed to be on equal footing... But when you come down to it this isn't equal at all!" the woman continued, "This is just-!"

There was a short bit of silence as their friend cut her words short, those visible to the audience leering at the other in mixed emotion. One with a grin spread across his face far wider than humanly possible, and the other with an obviously fear filled scowl, their friend's opponent laughing as he spoke.

"The moment the player's life points hit zero the sacrifice's body will be consumed," he sneered, all too pleased about the 'cost' of the game. "And so too will the player be swallowed in darkness to suffer ultimate pain... Hnhnhahahahaha... Victory or defeat!" 'Malik' cackled, tongue running along his teeth as the audience involuntarily shuddered, "Pleasure or pain... We now walk the razor thin line between them..."

"Gh... MALIK!" 'Yugi' spat, fists clenched as he looked up to his partner in worry. This fight... If he didn't play his moves properly it would be far more than just half of a leg that was missing. The others grit their teeth with that in mind, trading glances from the field to Katsuya.

"...If... Yugi can't attack," one of them began, the blond among them still biting his lip as he looked to the field. "If he can't attack without hurting Yugi-"

" _Don't worry about me_ ," Yugi called down, speaking to both his partner and his friends as he heard those words. " _I'll be fine, trust me_ ," he continued, barely forcing the words out through the residual pain he was in. ". _..Gh... Other me... Fight him_!" the boy told him, turning to the field with a determined scowl. " _No matter what, we need to save Malik_!"

"Yes... That's the spirit," 'Malik' taunted, Katsuya suppressing a shudder as his face seemed to stretch and distort with the words. As the other Yugi, having not yet given his response looked to the Egyptian with feelings far surpassing distaste and loathing, almost pulling back at the expression his opponent held. "Writhe in PAIN!" the Egyptian howled, "Shout... SCREAM! Every time you do pleasure runs through my entire being! KhahaHAHAHAAAA!" Gh...

That laugh...

Rules were simple Katsuya repeated within his mind; the loser died. That was it. But watching from the side as flashes came to mind...

As he swallowed back wave after wave of fear and unease...

"Trust me!" the other Yugi shouted to his partner, the words nonetheless seeming to apply to all those watching from the sides. "I won't lose!" No... He wouldn't lose, this was Yugi after all, and no prophecy was needed for that, but the fact still remained.

In the battle of the mind... Anything could happen.


	9. Final Whispers

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't in pain.

In fact even admitting he was in pain would be putting it pretty damn lightly, if he said so himself. He didn't see what had clawed at his leg, or what had 'eaten' it and the bone inside. The fact was he thought with a mental and broken laugh, he didn't think he'd be able to. But if he was right...

And Jonouchi's face was any sign...

Then what he couldn't see was quite likely better for him any ways.

' _It's okay,_ ' he'd told them, barely able to speak through the pain that was searing in the absence of his right knee. He could feel all his toes, he could feel his hip, but anything between and there was simply nothing outside a blinding pain along the edges. _'It's okay!_ ' he'd shouted to cover his own screams, ' _Just keep fighting! We have to save Malik!_ ' They had to...

Above anything they had to! Because if they were to buckle now then what point was there in all they'd done? What point in there was promising the others a won battle, the defeat of the one before them, of the one who would and hadn't hesitated to kill and attack them? They knew that it would be hard; they'd have been fools to think it wouldn't, so what other choice did they have?

Shadows were swarming the edges of what should have been bleeding wounds. In the hollows of each end of his leg he could see the now cleanly 'cut' bone, the somehow smoothly torn and un-bloodied muscle beneath resembling a cut round of steak. The veins, the arteries...

If he valued his stomach he decided, he would look to the field and ignore both the sight of the shadows that were dancing on the edges of his legs and the pain that was searing through it. This was a shadow game after all. There was no time to pay attention to things like this. If his other self lost, so did he. If he lost, so did his other self.

If the 'other Malik' lost so did the real one, and they needed to find a way around this. They needed to find a way to break 'their' Malik free...

No matter what he told himself, they would find Malik's 'light' in this battle; they would find and reclaim the thing that would grant him control over his body and this darker half. As the 'other' Malik had told them just now, they were chosen by the items. And for now that choice was made so he could give his partner the strength to fight on.

With that in mind he could do nothing but force the pained look off of his face as his other self nodded.

' _Have faith in me!_ ' he shouted, lightning cracking across the tower and the sky both as he called out to those watching. ' _I won't lose!_ '

No matter what.

He wasn't the only one aware of what this match meant, and of what was happening after all. Anzu, who had now recovered from earlier shock was staring up in intense worry, unable to see the duel but knowing from scattered memories what likely occurred. Jonouchi was watching with a mix of worry, determination, and horror both, having been given the 'gift' of being able to see all that now took place on the field. ' _Anything goes_ ' he had told them. And that was exactly how a Shadow Game operated.

If the mind could possibly comprehend the pain and the sight then it could happen. If their mind could imagine the possibilities of injury and fear, it happened. And this sky that hovered above them now... Somehow, he knew that if they lost...

This sky would never go away.

That it would always be dark, wherever they looked. For now however there was nothing they could do. After all...

It was still 'his' turn.

"Hnhnhnhnhn..." It was still 'that' Malik's turn, and the 'demon' had only just begun with his strike. "The card which just injured you has a special power you know," he sneered, chuckling darkly from across the pair as Yugi shuddered. Though the battle had returned to a holographic state after Kaiba's defeat it seemed that the cards nonetheless held a stony appearance he noticed. That the cards were floating tablets, with the monsters standing upon the ground rather than in the air. It was this sort of card that the vampiric leech now sat before, tentacles writhing in wait as its master spoke. A special power...

Something other than a 'Quick Attack' effect then? The boy watched and listened as their opponent explained, discarding a card while the monster entered defense mode. In the command that had yet to come the leech was sapped back into its card, the stone moving into a dormant state. Smoke wrapped around hovering stone, a carving etching across the surface.

It was strange Yugi thought to himself. By now his other self would have said something within his mind, commenting on all that went on and what they could do next. But with what was happening now, and with the stress of the field, there was nothing to say. Or maybe he'd missed it.

Maybe he had said something, and he'd just missed it. It hurt enough for that to happen after all.

...But their opponent hadn't finished yet. "I put the Vampiric Leech in defense mode," 'Malik' called out, still smiling maliciously as smoke and shadows drifted over the ground. "Following that I play one face down card," he announced clearly, the flat and hovering 'card' resembling a stone just as much as the one beside it. "Turn end." Turn end.

Alright then he thought to himself with a wince. Just a defense mode monster and a possible trap to deal with. But that discarded card... Could it be, he asked himself. That it was Ra that was discarded? Yugi bit his lip as he turned down, the look on his other half's face revealing similar suspicions as his other continued to stare across the field. If that was the case...

If that card was really waiting in there, sitting within the grave...

Then they were vulnerable to whatever attack Ra had inflicted last match upon Jonouchi. But was that really all they had to fear? From below on the arena Kaiba's eyes had narrowed with suspicion, as though she'd known something they didn't. And to strengthen this unease, Jonouchi's had widened with a knowledge that he could not share. A knowledge that, if used to change whatever he'd seen, would simply bring the same misfortune it had last time.

A knowledge that beat down on his conscience more than anything else he'd likely ever seen. That much he could be certain of, Yugi told himself. There was no way of knowing how bad his visions were- but whatever Jonouchi had seen had the blond looking to the field in guilt with grinding teeth. No worry though he decided in the end, flashing the blond a weak but reassuring smile. Nothing to worry about! After all...

They'd be fighting with the impression that it was Ra in there regardless! "My turn!" his other half announced. "Draw!" Again Yugi noted, it was the card exchange. It'd been appearing a lot lately. Ahhh, but if they'd only had the first turn...

Then they could have been rid of Ra altogether! There was little they could do about that, with no other choice than to press on.

To keep going and face whatever challenge might arise as a result. "I summon this monster!" his other half cried, the card he'd played now swinging upward in a tablet of stone. "The Queen's Knight!" And from holographic light the red-armored woman stepped forth, blade in hand and blond hair whipping back in the wind as her summoner continued with his orders. "Attack the leech!" he commanded, the monster charging the stone across from her with a cry. "QUEEN'S SABRE CRUSH!"

The sound of clattering stone met their ears as the blade connected, a high-pitched scream following shortly after. The leech's image drained from the stone and it clattered to the ground in pieces... And as the Queen returned to her side of the field dust flew through the air, 'Malik' merely cracking his neck from across them. "Keh... Too bad for you with the leech in defense mode," he snorted, the stones gradually fading as their Queen leered back in response. Yes...

'Too bad' he thought with a grimace but it was better this than nothing. They weren't done after all. "Now then," his other self decided, moving another pair of cards to the disk as the tablets appeared. "I'll play two face down cards and end my turn!" Two face down cards?

Now what were those ones he wondered dimly? He couldn't see his partner's hand, and for some reason it felt as though his link to him was strained, as though there was a block there. The boy's eyes grew shadowed at the thought before he opted to push it from mind and instead look across the field.

_'My turn,_ ' 'Malik' had announced just now, Yugi giving a slight shudder as their opponent continued to make a show of just how inhuman he was. _'I draw_.' For a moment the Egyptian's eyes were narrowed to the point where they seemed closed.

And then suddenly they were wide enough that he wasn't sure even the body was human any more. "Khnhnhn... HEHEHEHEHE..! HAH _AHAHAHA_!" Shit. "I drew... A nice card," he laughed, swiping another from his hand as the two before him paled and swallowed. "Before I play this," he continued with an almost taunting tone, "I'll summon another monster!" the Egyptian announced. "Juragedo!"

Again a stone-hologram appeared to the field, a mix of Jonouchi's eyes and his own coming into play amid the shadows around them. As a tablet carved forth the image of a monster with eyes at the side of a mouth-less face, acidic smoke filling the ridges as claws slowly pierced the veil of stone. The twisted and mutated monster with nothing but its two legs to call arms snarled as it clawed free the stone, and from across it the Queen's Knight visibly tensed. Juragedo was more powerful than she was- and so, even as she raised her blade to block...

' _Obliterate the Queen's Knight!_ ' he heard 'Malik' roar, the demon charging forward in a flash of light that he found himself unable to completely see. "OFF WITH HER HEAD!" His other self didn't feel much pain from that attack, thankfully. As their opponent had ordered after all, the monster's attack struck the head, with its claws passing through the Queen's neck cleanly before her body toppled to the side. All his other self felt was a brief sting around his throat where the 'blades' struck; there was nothing more.

"Gh..." That wasn't the case for him though. "NGGGH!" In fact, he thought he could hear screams as the Red Queen dissolved into dust. "Ngh-!" The boy bit his tongue until blood was leaking into his mouth, but despite his attempts to hold back the scream he could not help but shout once he caught sight of himself. Once he caught sight of his partner looking upward, eyes widening in silent horror. Once he caught sight of the shadows misting around his leg... As his left shin vanished. As his left elbow was ripped away, steadily and quickly by unseen shadows and- "Ghhh..." And... "GNN... GHHHHAAA _AAAGGGHHHH_!"

And he couldn't help but scream as bits and pieces were ripped away, the only relief coming when the top layers of skin had been torn back by the darkness so that the captors could move to more tender layers. And though all that his partner could see was his body dissolving into smoke and ash he still reacted as he would have if he could see.

"A-AIBOU!" His other self stiffened and stared, unable to move and unable to do more than cry out in fear. "AIBOU!" Gh...

Calm your mind he told himself, still biting his tongue as his head fell limp against his chest. Shuddering breaths sent shivers through his body, and for a moment he let his eyes close over in still ringing pain. Calm yourself, calm yourself he repeated in his mind, he's fighting for you! And more importantly Yugi thought, a few more shuddering breaths wracking his form. If he showed weakness...

"Gh..." Then it was all over. "I'm fine," he told his partner, slowly looking up to stare across the field. "Trust me, I'm still fine! Don't worry about me," he pressed, swallowing back the still numbing sense of pain over his arm and legs, "Just watch out for that spell card he's about to use!" That card...

He'd made it obvious what he was going to do after all! And as his other self stiffened once more their opponent grinned, holding the card to the field before placing it on the his disk to reveal another stone tablet. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Wise words of warning," he hissed, the stone carving its image in a matter of seconds. "But they won't do you any good! Yugi!" he cackled, the face glowing fiercely as its summoner drew a card. "This is the card that will kill you! LEFT ARM OFFERING... Sending my entire hand to the grave to pick one card from my deck. And the card I want," he continued, grinning madly as his opponents shared a look of fear and unease. "The card I play now is..." Too obvious, Yugi thought with a slight smirk. Now! Right before he placed the card! "MONSTER REBO-"

"ACTIVATE TRAP! EXCHANGE!" the other Yugi snarled, holding his hand out for 'Malik' to see "Pick a card from my hand, any card you like," he spat, the Egyptian's eyes narrowing to mere slits as his grin faded to a dull scowl. "But I'm taking your monster reborn!"

And with that, Ra was locked from the field completely. Cheers were erupting at the side just now, with wide grins and shouts that he could scarcely hear through the shadows. Looking to another point on the tower below however Kaiba's expression was still thick with suspicion, her eyes narrowed as if to say ' _it can't possibly be that easy..._ ' No.

Probably not, he thought bitterly. But as 'Malik' ended his turn there was not time to think about it. It was their turn again... And as his other half looked at the card they'd drawn Yugi had to smile despite the pain he was in. The look on his face told him everything after all, and so did the stone that was already rising to sit above the ground. Heh. This card...

With this card they were even closer to saving Malik; that much was for certain. "I summon the King's Knight," the 'other' Yugi announced, a tablet similar to that of the fallen Queen's now smoking as orange armor made its way forth to reveal the King. "And then, I play the Monster Reborn!” he continued as a second tablet appeared, "Bringing back the Queen's Knight... And when the King and Queen are on the field," he went on, eyes narrowing dangerously as the gaze was mirrored by the monsters at his side. "I think you know what happens..."

Stone was rising between the two cards just now, far before them on the field. In reality as well a card was released from the deck, his other half setting it on the duel disk with a short nod as the gold armored warrior began to appear from its stone.

"We'll see who summons the Gods first," 'Yugi' snarled, the third knight stepping forward. "The Jack's Knight arises!"

"Hnhnhahahah... We'll just see who wins," 'Malik' sneered. There were more cheers from the side. More shouts, more cries to fight and win. If he listened carefully however, it was more than simply a cheer that was surrounding them now. They were talking about possible moves themselves it seemed, about possible strategies to use and to counter. ' _Malik still has some face down cards_ ,' he could hear Anzu mutter, the woman still breathing heavily from her earlier panic. That was true, Yugi thought. And with that in mind...

'Malik' currently had one card in his hand, the one he'd taken from Exchange, and that was 'De-Fusion'. There were no 'quick play' spells to worry about. Merely traps, namely the one that likely lay before them on the field. And there was no worry on 'Malik's face; if anything he realized with a shudder the Egyptian was smirking rather maliciously, and the longer they waited to move the larger it grew.

"What's the matter?" 'Malik' taunted, eyes wide and almost blind with insanity as his body twitched in anticipation. "Go ahead!" he cackled, "Attack me, ATTACK ME! KAHAH _AHAHAH_!" Attack...

It would be almost foolish not to do so and yet that was the case with the opposite as well. There was no other choice. ' _Turn end,_ ' he eventually heard his other half call out. And with those words Malik's grin shrank back into its usual demonic smirk, eyes narrowed in patient mirth regarding what he knew would happen. They'd avoided this death after all.

Now there was the next one. And the look on his face...

Yugi suppressed another shudder, holding his gaze on the field. As their opponent drew his next card the Egyptian's grin grew, the blond running his tongue along the card's edge while his opponents held back the previous evening's supper. Disgusting. There were not other words for it but that...

"Hnhnhnhn..." Hihhhhhhh... "Yugi... You don't have a God in your hand right now, do you?" he asked, the boy narrowing his eyes in response. "Well," the Egyptian chuckled, "It's rather pathetic, waiting each turn for you to draw one. And if the card you draw is Osiris, then the cards in your hand will be so minimal it would be nothing more than a joke!" True... But what was he up to? "Here," 'Malik' hissed, slipping the card onto the duel disk as its respective 'tablet' appeared atop the field. "I'll give you a gift, a card that helps us both! Card of Sanctity!" E-Eh! "Give thanks to my God for his blessings as you replenish your hand, Yugi! HnhnhaHAHA!" Gh...

What was going on? Drawing until they had six cards in hand... Just what was Malik up to? Despite momentary suspicion however they could not deny the advantage this would give them. A smirk came over both of their faces, and as the cards were drawn their opponent continued his move. One monster in defense, one card face down, stone tablets sitting in the air and revealing nothing... And he was done.

It was their turn. "Draw," the 'other' Yugi announced, now holding seven cards in his hand. The storm above them had intensified the moment Osiris came into their grasp; lightning struck the sides of the tower to charge it with electricity, with thunder roaring overhead like a subway through a tunnel.

And as he brought the card to the field he could almost hear Jonouchi's chanted and subconscious words on the air, merging with the winds around him. Hear the wail of storm clouds as clouds furled, hear the pounding of wings beating the air as the knights before them crumbled into sand, blowing back behind them on storming winds while roars slowly sounded through the sky...

"Noble cards," 'Yugi' announced, placing the card on his disk, "Become my sacrifice... I SUMMON THE DRAGON OF THE SKIES!" he announced, hands held outward in gesture as his voice was overpowered by wind. "THE GOD OF LIFE AND DEATH ITSELF... I SUMMON... OSIRIS!"

" _ **RRAAAAAAAOOOOOOOO!**_ "

' _At last'_ , he thought Malik was saying under the snarls. 'At last'...

God was summoned.

" **And so we FACE your FINAL challenge, LITTLE KING...** " The double mouths of the dragon never moved from where they hovered above and behind him, and yet despite this he felt no need to turn back while the god spoke. " **So,** " Osiris rumbled, the endless coils of his form spiraling the tower. " **Do you find yourself READY ?** " Ready?

What other answer could they possibly have for that? "Of course," the other Yugi muttered, still looking toward the field.

" _Of course,_ " he himself answered. Shouts were filling the air with cheers and cries to attack, and Osiris continued to leer at the opponent before them. To anyone watching it would be obvious who the winner was. Osiris' power would end Malik's life quickly, no doubt about that. Something told him however, that things were not quite as they seemed.

Not in the least. "Are you ready?" his other half spat to their opponent, fist clenched as white hot flames began to gather in the maw of the God behind them. "Get him, OSIRIS! LIGHTNING STORM!" they both roared, the fires blasting forward to strike the 'monster' down. "THIS IS IT!"

And still their opponent laughed. "Khehehehehe..." And laughed. "Hehehahaha..." And laughed... "HAHAHAHAHA!"

What? " **Gh- You DARE laugh in the face of GOD?** " Osiris spat, wings smacking the air down and against them as he snarled. The question had an almost obvious answer. Dare he? Hah!

He dared alright. "The time is right!" 'Malik' cackled, trap swinging upward as the fires Osiris released were somehow diverted by its nearly insignificant appearance. "I'll show you Ra's POWER! Activate TRAP," he roared, hands held out in a clawed gesture to the field. "REVIVAL OF THE DARK! Allowing me to use one spell from your grave yard," the Egyptian howled, eyes little more than pin pricks, "Namely the MONSTER REBORN... Now... WATCH," he hissed, pulling his hands back as shadows whirled around him and smoke rose to the air. "Watch... _Great God over all he travels_ ," 'Malik' began, voice lowering to a dark and sinister tone, " _Who creates all he sees, whose eye is the warrior Sehkmet, whose knowledge is unsurpassed,_ " he went on, gaze lowered to the ground as the smoke continued to furl. " _...Who sails on the evening barge of a million years,_ " the Egyptian hissed, " _Who is accompanied by Command, Perception, and Magic, whose Father is Nun, who passes life and death each day... Who battles with the dark serpent alongside the God of Storms_ ," 'Malik' continued to chant, his grin growing wide despite words that were being mirrored from the field at the side against all the self control his friend held. " _I ask that you arise to my side_ ," he 'sang', raising his head to the sky and scarcely holding back his laughter, " _That you illuminate my path with your LIGHT... I ask that you guide me in the form of the great bennu bird_ ," he continued, both of his opponents tensing as fires began to rise around the Egyptian, as the tablet from his activated trap began to grind itself into dust only now.

As a toothed beak formed from the fires, wings wide-spread and flickering in the air as they surrounded the tower...

" _I ask... That you accept this tribute of my very soul and eradicate all those before me... That you cleanse the souls of those who oppose me!_ " 'Malik' cried with cackled laughter, " _And shield me from all harm in these moments... I ask...!_ "

" **And once AGAIN!** " he could hear God cry, Osiris releasing a second blast of flames despite himself as the threat before them howled with sadistic glee, " **You are ANSWERED!** " Ra...

The fires sent forth did nothing but merge with the flames of the God's body, low snarls greeting the air in response. Ra...

Ra... "Ra," Yugi found himself whispering in fear, the field falling silent as the great and inflamed deity stared his opponent down. The 'king' of the Gods had risen before them, which made this next move all or nothing for survival.

"Hnhnhnhahaha... HAHAHAHHAHAHA! For the turn he arises the Great God Ra is IMMORTAL!" 'Malik' roared, the grin growing to match the gleam in his eyes as he looked upon them across the field. "No attack will pass, no monster will stand before him... I'LL BURN YOU TO CINDERS ALONG WITH YOUR GOD!" he snarled, pulling flames into its mouth with those very words. No power could surpass it. No power could defend against it, and the fiery phoenix was staring them down with gleaming red eyes...

" **WE have MUCH to DISCUSS, LITTLE KING,** " Ra rumbled, turning its head toward Osiris momentarily as the dragon seemed to shrink under the gaze, actually pulling back slightly beneath the better of the two. " **I SEE you have OVERCOME the CHALLENGES of my KIN... NO an EASY task,** " the 'dragon' noted, " **I ASSURE you... HOWEVER,** " he continued, rising still further into the air as the God at their side of the battle hissed warningly, " **DO NOT EXPECT MY CHALLENGE TO BE SO SWIFTLY OVERCOME!** " Don't...

H-Hah... As if they ever had! There was no need to even mention Osiris' special ability at this moment Yugi realized coldly, both he and his other half swallowing under the pressure inflicted with Ra's words. The second blast which appeared with summoned monsters was that very force of thunderous power that was released without intention, meant to weaken those beneath him. And only those beneath him, Yugi thought as he shuddered. There was no questioning this after all; for some reason both he and his other self simply knew that to attempt such an attack on Ra would only end in failure, and there was no reason to question the specifics. And now...

"Now," 'Malik' sneered, flexing a hand as he closed his eyes over. "It is my turn to attack. With the sacrifice of 1000 lifepoints I now burn both you and your dragon... And it isn't as though the darkness won't appreciate this offering!" he laughed, gesturing to the hostage at the side as the hanging spirit failed to give even a twitch in response. "He can't even scream after all," he sneered, the true Malik's head simply hanging limp as his arm dissolved from the wrist up with no reaction. "And now... Great God RA," the Egyptian cackled, looking up to the god above him as it took to the skies. "TAKE THE FORM OF THE PHOENIX AND LET YOUR FLAMES CONSUME THIS LESSER BEING BEFORE YOU!"

" _ **KEEEEERRRRR!**_ "

"Gh-!" Here it came! The fires pulled back against Ra's form, gathering heat and intensity as they formed a thick 'sphere' within his throat. This was it... This was it!

" **THE FIRST OF THE CHALLENGES,** " Ra announced, releasing the fires so that all Yugi could see was yellow and gold as he and his other were completely surrounded. " **FACE the POWER of the RISING SON, LITTLE KING!** " Gh...!

"G-... HHAA _AAAAAGGGHHHH_!"

" _HRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!_ " Even without the loss of lifepoints the pain of Ra's flames was near unbearable. The heat seemed to sear their clothing right into their skin, sending stinging burns across all their body...

" **Let me PROTECT you,** " Osiris was saying amid the roar of fire, lowering a great and red-scaled hand downward. " **As ALL I can DO LITTLE KING, let ME protect YOU!** " A massive, clawed hand now covered them both. Hid them within the monster's grip, roasting them alive despite all the protection he tried to offer. Coating them in sweat as they closed their eyes and waited for the pain to pass...

"Ghhhh... GKKK..." The scales were slowly eroding into dust from around them, and the monster was crumbling into ashes. Amid cries to stand and cries to move on they could still hear Malik cackling, demanding their suffering, demanding their pain...

"Hnhnhnhnhn... That's enough now," the Egyptian decided with a sneer, evidently glad that they could both still 'stand' and fight after such an attack. "I need you alive until the end after all. And so Ra returns to the grave," he continued, the rush of flames that filled the field and air seemingly absorbed by the duel disk with the storm following behind it. "And Monster Reborn returns to the grave," he continued lowly, the card somehow having appeared on his disk in the entire mess. Alright...

So it was there again, he thought to himself. But... "Aibou?" his other self rasped, turning to his partner as he chocked. "Are you alright? Are you... Are you okay?" The boy bit his lip, looking over his partner's still steaming form before nodding. He was no worse than he after all. No worse...

" _I'm fine... Worry about yourself,_ " he continued in protest, ignoring the slight burns he had over his body. This wasn't the real one anyways. His pain didn't matter right now, just his other self's! " _We need to focus on the duel,_ " he continued, looking back to the field. " _We just lost our God card... Unless we get Monster Reborn there's only one left, and even then the card only lasts one turn..._ " His 'other' nodded in agreement, only to tense as their opponent chuckled from across them.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... What?" he sneered humerously, gesturing to the field as he clicked one of the dueldisk's buttons. "You think that's it?" It...

It wasn't? ...Oh no, Yugi realized, blood draining from his face as the two looked forward.

Oh no. There was no way he had that card- "HAHA _HAHAHA_!" He did. "BEHOLD!" 'Malik' snarled, tablet rising as its carved image glared forward with a blinding light. "My face down card, the Zombie's Jewel! Bringing Monster Reborn back into my hand," he sneered, his eyes narrowing in expectant menace, "And allowing me to special summon Ra all over again," he continued lowly. Again...

They were going to face the monster again...

"Of course," Malik was saying as Yugi stared blankly across the field with fear, "It's not quite over... The fine print of Zombie's Jewel allows you to draw one card," he chuckled, both boys looking at the deck and swallowing. "So lets see how long that keeps you alive..." One card...

Their entire fate depended on that card then, and... And...

A sudden wave of calm washed over them as they grabbed at the deck, if only for a short instant. Even though they had no monster to defend themselves. Even though the threat of Ra hung over them like a mantle, and though Jonouchi had already begun to clutch his head again as the others worriedly asked about whatever he saw, and what now had him turning back to the field with an expression of absolute horror...

They did not get an answer from him this time. "Yugi... Since your time is going to be cut rather... Short," 'Malik' chuckled, reaching beneath his shirt for something as the others glared and snarled in response, "How about I show you something interesting. Haven't you noticed after all?" he continued, slight 'jingling' coming over the air as he fished whatever it was he was grabbing for out. "That one of your friends is missing?" Gold met their vision as the Egyptian dropped what had been hanging around his neck on old and worn cord, five dangling prongs clacking against each other in the wind. This item...

"The Millennium Ring," Yugi hissed with shock, his other half merely staring in shock as the other Malik sneered. "Then..." Then when Bakura had vanished...

"You bastard!" Honda snarled from the side, those on the arena acutely aware that there was one amid the usually noisy crowd keeping their voice down. "So Bakura's disappearance really is your fault then!" They'd suspected of course. But when there had been no body, when there had been no blood...

In the end, there was only one reason why Bakura could possibly be gone... Wasn't there? More chuckling came over the air, followed by low growls from all who disagreed with the actions that had now taken place. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Really. This ring is merely a spoils of war," 'Malik' laughed, fingering the ring in a manner just as disturbing as anything else he'd held in those hands. "As for its previous owner," he continued, a mocking sigh escaping him as he shrugged, "I would imagine he's completely consumed by darkness right now... Khehehehehe..." Bakura... So then, both body and soul were trapped, locked in wherever they were disappearing to now. And as per the usual, 'Malik' still laughed. "Hahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!"

Stop laughing, both boys thought to themselves, almost visualizing the other Bakura vanishing as the 'sacrifices' of the duels were. Stop laughing, they almost hissed aloud, the image of their 'friend' snarling under the flames of Ra coming to mind, the rest of the event remaining as unseen as it had been atop the arena during the night prior.

Stop! "JUST WATCH!" 'Malik' roared, cackling cut short only to speak. "I'll show you the same power that sent Bakura to HELL!" Gh... Hell was it?

Not this time! Mark his words, not this time! " _Other me,_ " Yugi found himself saying, gritting his teeth as he fixed a steady glare toward their opponent. " _We can't let him get away with this..._ " With what he did to Mai, Ryuzaki, Jonouchi...

To Bakura, and everyone else! To even Malik himself! They couldn't. And they could never forgive him, for what he'd done! And this card that had given them that wave of calm...

They knew just what it was! "I set a card face down!" they both called out, not even looking at the card's face as they closed their eyes and smiled despite the situation. "TURN END!"

In an instant more there was yet another round of chuckling, the pair opening their eyes to stare across the field. "Cowards..." ..Hn! "Both of you, cowards," 'Malik' sneered, not catching the momentary shock that became a grin on Jonouchi's face to the side. "You don't even have the guts to look your defeat in the face!" he spat, shaking his head in rage. Oh...

Did they now? "Hn!" The 'other' Yugi merely snorted, ignoring sounds of shock and sputtered protests of illegal face downs as he looked across the field. Kaiba certainly hadn't complained; the shock on her face had been replaced with an expression that said 'go ahead', and they would do just that. "It's your turn Malik..."

Silence briefly met the air in response, their opponent nonetheless snorting as he drew his next card. "KEH! Alright then," he sneered, a grin soon re-appearing on his face. "Regardless of what your choice is it's my turn. And as surely as the sun rises, your END is NIGH! I play Monster Reborn!" 'Malik' called, hands outstretched as God again began to appear in the air, brilliant armor coming forth. "BEHOLD! THE SUN DRAGON RA!" he crowed, as gold metal seared into existence an lined itself with fire behind the tower. "AND NOW... With this POWER granted by Ancient Scriptures," he sneered, "LET THE SUN MEET ITS MID-DAY POINT AND SEAR YOU WITH A THE HEAT OF THE DESERT... " Second challenge, he found himself telling himself. Second challenge...

But what he heard next did not only come from across him on the field. And for the most part, the chanting was the same, but near the end it altered yet again. " _I ask of you, the Great God Ra,_ " they were muttering, Jonouchi only given away by the movement of his lips as he gripped his head. As the others attempted to snap him from his stupor, worriedly attempting to shake him out by the shoulder. The chanting went on. " _I ask... That you come to my aid and take my power... That you take my life,_ " they whispered,

" _All that I have and use it to empower your own... TO FUEL YOUR FLAMES!_ " 'Malik' roared, his body slowly vanishing from the field to appear far above a top Ra's beak, " _TO COAT YOUR ENEMY COMPLETELY IN YOUR WRATH..._ "

" **And WE SHALL,** " the monster announced, beak opening wide as its summoner howled with laughter. Attack power was now at two thousand, nine hundred, and ninety nine. Malik now had one life point left, and nothing more.

And at the side of the field beneath Ra's massive claws as their opponent stood flaming before them, there was little more than an eye for the real Malik to call his own, a tiny closed eye that was trapped in endless and searing pain. "I'M NOT DONE!" 'Malik' roared with a laugh, his opponents shocked stiff as the fires continued to bathe and blind the field around them. "NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST... I sacrifice the monsters on m field!" the Egyptian continued, pillars of fire erupting for each one before becoming swallowed by the god on the field. "ABSORBING their attack... Now we're stronger than ever before," he hissed. "And now... YOU STAND NO CHANCE! HnhnHAHAHA!"

" **Are you PREPARED?** " Ra snarled with those words, all shouts from the sidelines drowned out beneath the God's voice. The monster lowered his head expectantly, beak clacking as flames grew within his mouth. " **Are you READY LITTLE KING, for the NEXT STEP?** " The next step...

They'd passed the 'Sunset'. And technically, they'd even passed sunrise. Now, moving toward the center...

The 'Mid-Day Sun'.

"Brace yourself," 'Malik' hissed, grinning manically while his opponents looked up toward him. "I'LL BOIL YOUR BLOOD INTO STEAM! ATTACK, RA!" Now. The fires were released and began to blossom forward like some strange growing flower at high speed.

Now, Yugi thought to himself with a swallow, a few of the sparks already striking their side of the field from above.

Now!

"Reveal Trap!" his other half announced almost calmly, the gaping beak that hovered before them clacking shut with a snap with the same click sound of the duel-disk's release button. "DEVIL'S SANCTUARY!"

The field fell into a hush with the words and at his feet a blackened series of runes and patterns began to appear. The ceremonial circle, encompassing almost half of his field from where it sat centered before him. Smoke arose from the center, writhing, taking form... This was the card that Kaiba had entrusted to them he told himself, a metaloid spirit seeming to take form. This was the card that she'd put her power in.

And it was with this card, that they would win!

* * *

Ra's 'second' power Seto thought to herself as she watched the duel, was likely the most frightening power that Ra held. The 'one turn kill'. The ability to pawn off any number of lifepoints to add to the God's power for one move and one only. And in addition, or so it seemed, the ability to add the power of any monster sacrificed to its own was included among this- making it possible to continue with the strike even without sufficient lifepoints. It was a power that nothing could stop...

Save one card.

When Yugi had set that card on the field without looking, she'd found herself almost amused despite the situation. Could it possibly have been that card? The chances were minimal after all; impossible, the very reason why the chances of a win were so low! And yet it seemed that he truly had done the impossible. At the moment he needed it most, the Devil's Sanctuary had been played.

So now as the runes glittered across the field and the metal 'token' took its place in the center she could do nothing but stare in shock as she thought back to her words earlier on. Earlier in the duel, when she had seen this battle shaping up to the worst case scenario. When she'd held her gaze on the field and asked the woman beside her-

"You used your so called 'magic' to see what cards I would play, didn't you?"

Ishizu had jumped somewhat, but after a slight pause nodded. "I did," she responded simply, the first of the pair never moving to turn from the field.

"And I can assume you did the same with Malik, correct?" Seto had asked, her arms crossed to match the narrowed gaze she held.

Another pause, and another nod. "...I did."

There was a short span of silence following this, and finally it was Seto who continued the conversation. "Malik has a card that brings spells out from the graveyard, doesn't he?"

For some reason despite knowing there was an inevitable loss on the field before her, Ishizu's answer gave her a sudden chill. "He does."

That was all she needed to hear.

Malik had already put his ultimate strategy into play after all. He'd discarded Ra, and he'd gotten the Monster Reborn within reach. And after first pulling it out from Yugi's grave... He now had a card to do the same from his own, allowing him another shot at victory. The 'One Turn Kill'...

The deadly strategy that would be unavoidable, the strategy that spelled Bakura's end the night prior. Any amount of power was possible... All it would take was his life points and the sacrifice of his monsters and he would easily overpower any foe before him. And that single spell...

It was an attack that could be stopped by one card and only one, a fact that reduced any chance of a successful match to little more than one in five, but if there was anyone who could have pulled off the attack...

Of course, she thought almost bitterly, it would be him. Of course it would be her 'rival', the one who had defeated her again, and again, and again... And as the Devil's Sanctuary took effect over the field she didn't bother herself with the sudden, slightly realistic tone filling the arena. The single 'eye' that appeared on the token's face rather than simply a perfect reflection of the opponent. The thunder that constantly rumbled through the air, the breathing coming from each monster summoned, causing gales of wind in the case of the now destroyed 'Osiris'...

The fires that lapped the sides of the tower that she stood upon...

She didn't feel quite as distracted by the appearance of Gods now she noted, arms crossed as she looked at the field in apparent indifference. Before she'd found herself briefly unable to focus (much to her distaste). But now it seemed that if anything their summoning was constantly pulling her attention to the side, with each series of chants and peals of thunder bringing a new string of what should have been gibberish from Katsuya's mouth.

' _I ask of the God of death,_ ' he began for Osiris, his hands either clenched around his arms or on his head. And in the case of Ra, the God of Sun. With a new string of words and 'song' for alternate forms, with his mouth moving almost against his will if the glazed appearance of his eyes was any sign. But that was ridiculous, she told herself immediately after. Completely ridiculous and so she tore her gaze away from the blond and brought it back to the field.

It didn't matter. After all, it wasn't real. None of this was. She just wished that wasn't her only defense. That the monsters above could be attributed to mere hallucination, that the intensity of power and emotion on the air could be attributed to illusion, to excitement, to anything. Anything other than 'magic' and all the other nonsense these people attributed it to.

Yet in the end she was left staring in silence, eyes widening briefly as the Sanctuary came into place. As the small metal token misted into appearance, hide gleaming beneath the blazing fires of Ra. ' _Neesama_ ,' she thought she heard her brother ask from the side. ' _Was that your card? The one you gave him..?_ '

She gave no answer, merely gripping her arms and biting her tongue.

Precognition wasn't possible she told herself. 'Fate' was not something that could be 'seen', and it was in that regard, completely nonexistent. There was no such thing as fate, so much as there was mere luck and chance.

And more importantly there was no such thing as magic and monsters, regardless of the fact that 'Malik' had vanished from the field, now joined with Ra itself as he stared down the Devil's Sanctuary. Regardless of the fact that he cackled from stories above them now, arms spread wide as the fires released from 'God's form struck the ground... As they streaked toward the monster who had taken his lifepoints as its own power, toward the monster whose life was tied not to Yugi's but to the opponent's own, unable to be called off and unable to stop.

Only for the use of 'her' power to be completely shattered. Only for her to watch as the key to defeating the one turn kill was made completely useless, the fires reaching the edges of the metal devil that now represented Malik's remaining lifepoints only to stop in place and lash out in a whirlwind focused only upon its owner. Smoke filled the air and all eyes widened as Ra began to fade... As the fires died down until finally vanishing completely, with Yugi's current opponent reappearing with a leering grin.

His lifepoints were a total of 4700, with his field cleared of all monsters... And in the very center of the arena lay one lone metal devil on the field.

'De-Fusion' was not meant to work in the way Malik had used it. Activating it at the last moment, pulling his lifepoints and himself free from Ra's body- sending Ra back to the grave and granting himself all of the life from its power as a result. "Tch..." Cheap. How disgustingly cheap she thought with a low growl, the Egyptian on the field still cackling at the turn in events. Ra had returned to the grave and the monster reborn had as well, but there was still one more shot at that card now.

And once he did that the metal devil would be useless. Completely useless...

...Unless, she thought to herself, eyes narrowing in thought. Unless...

"...My turn," 'Yugi' hissed almost under his breath, his opponent setting one last card face down as the hologram shimmered into existence. "I'll pay 1000 lifepoints to maintain the Devil's place on the field and draw," he announced, opponent cackling in response.

"One attack point... That's all you have for your defense!" the Egyptian howled. "You sacrifice 1000 of your lifepoints for this?" Hn! As if he would have been so stupid! ...No, Seto thought to herself, a smirk coming across her face despite all appearances left to hold. No...

Devil's sanctuary had another use in this match, a back up plan! And if the look on her rival's face was any sign, if the sacrifice of his life was any sign... Then he would indeed cause some damage. "HERE I GO!" Yugi roared, Seto's teeth grinding despite attempts to remain calm and wait for what occurred. "First, I activate my face down card," he called out, the card swinging upward as his 'metal devil' writhed about the field and 'screamed'. "Multiply! Giving me two more copies of the Devil Token," the boy announced. The metalloid creature proceeded to do just that in response, arms splitting from its form before growing into two separate copies to float at its sides. And next... "Next," Yugi continued, those watching growing almost pale in anticipation and shock both as a storm again began to brew in the darkened sky, "Sacrificing the three Metal Devils," he roared, voice mirrored by the storm above, "THE GOD OF STORM AND CHAOS... I SUMMON THE STONE SOLDIER OF THE OBELISK!"

Shouts erupted in an instant and her eyes were drawn upward, ignorant to the faintly chanted words from Jonouchi on the side. From the 'sand' on the field and the dust in the air the almost demonic God formed, stone wings spread wide and fists clenched tight. And with necrotized flesh beneath bonelike armor the demon snarled, knuckles cracking in anticipation. " **I SHALL ANSWER YOUR CALLS LITTLE KING,** " he announced, Seto's eyes growing even wider as his words came through the air. " **And, more IMPORTANTLY,** " the God continued, his voice easily overpowering an order to attack, " **WE SHALL WIN! GO..! GOD HAND CRUSHER,** " both he and Yugi snarled, the 'obelisk' pulling a fist back before slamming it as hard as possible into their opponent's chest. The Egyptian had no time to even realize what was happening, a chocked cry cutting through the air at the volume of little more than a mouse.

They could still, however, hear it. "GLLL-K!"

"A direct hit!" Yugi announced confidently, cards flying through the air along with blood as Malik slowly and painfully began to pull himself up. "Be glad you still have 'life points'," he continued bitterly. "As I doubt you would still live otherwise..." Tch...

He was alive that was true Seto growled in the back of her mind, but just barely. There were only 700 points left after all. The next attack would destroy him easily.

And yet as he stumbled to his feet wiping blood from his face, there was nothing but a grin meeting their vision from the side of the field. A leering and demonic grin, made all the more haunting as the Egyptian licked his hand free of what blood he'd smeared off his face. Most of those on the side were cheering, that was true. But the look on Malik's face...

And the words he muttered... "It hurts," he whispered under his breath, chuckling as he spoke. "It hurts...! It hurts, it hurts, it HURTS! HnhnHAH _AHAHAHA_! So much PAIN Yugi!" he cackled, those watching left to do nothing but pull back in disgust. "I didn't even know you were capable, but don't you remember?" he continued, howling in his mirth. "This PAIN means nothing to me... BUT NOT TO HIM!"

To him? The woman's eyes narrowed at the words, and for a brief moment she almost heard pained breathing on the air. A whimpering scream, answered by a look of shocked horror and realization as her rival looked toward where Malik gestured.

But there was nothing there, despite the look of horror on Yugi's face. "No," he whispered, only for his voice to be drowned out by laughter. "No-"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... HE'S the one who really feels the pain!" Malik snarled, still grinning as both Yugi and Katsuya tensed in rage. "HE'S the one whose body is being devoured by shadows, slowly disappearing to be left with nothing... Such a poor fool," he hissed, shaking his head. "A poor pathetic tomb guardian whose entire life has been nothing but an insurance policy for a dead man's memories... If not for the fact that I was already laughing," the Egyptian chuckled, "I'd laugh at the sheer irony at it all! Your hatred, the hatred of the Pharaoh he's spent his life living for... FUELING the destruction of his very SOUL! And now I'm going to devour yours," he continued lowly, licking his lips with shadowed eyes. "I'll swallow your spirit whole and I'll leave nothing left... I'm going to repay you for this pain," Malik hissed, fingers twitching above his dueldisk, "And I'll return it twofold, with this very card... I activate this trap!" the blond announced, Seto cursing under her breath at the obvious pitfall Yugi had run into. "Take a good look... METAL REFLECT SLIME!" he announced, the grin on his face widening. "Creating an exact duplicate of your monster... A living wall with a defense equal to three fourths your own! MEET THE MONSTER YOU CREATED Malik cackled, mercury-like metal rising and shifting with his words. "A copy of Obelisk itself, the GOD SLIME!"

* * *

The last thing he could remember before he was pulled from Anzu's body was a clawing sensation. The feeling of dark, twisted and unwanted fingers pulling at his form, at a form that didn't exist. As though his soul itself was being stabbed time and time again by a thousand hooked knives and until he conceded to the pain they would continue.

And despite all the loathing he felt for this feeling he could not resist its power in the end, unable to even give more than a cry of shock as a sudden sense of vertigo overcame him. As cold wind whipped past his body, and as the constant scratch and wail of shadows crawled over his skin after being pulled back in the way one would a fish on a line. As all his energy was torn from his grasp, all of it spent clawing at Anzu's mind, pulling for any form of a hold, any way to possibly stay put...

Anything, but going back to _IT_ he cried in his mind, only for it to suddenly go blank. Everything else following that moment... Was nothing but a daze.

He could remember an intense pain eating away at his body. A series of shrieks as something, or some _things_ tore at his suspended form, ripping muscle from bone and bone from body. His legs were gone, his arms were gone, his hands, chest, neck, face!

Naught but an eye had remained on that field, yet in an instant it was all returned. He was still weak of course. Despite the strength of the sudden intake of air that came with the return of his body he felt as though he were at death's door. But as he swallowed back a wave of nonexistent bile and fear the blond shuddered, shivering breaths meeting with the shadows on the wind as his eyes opened a fraction. He hadn't felt this way for so long he thought bitterly, unable to so much as move his little finger through the pain. So long...

Not since he was young, since he was maybe twelve... No, a little older he decided, eyes closing once more. Thirteen. When...

When his father died...

When he killed his father he corrected, when this thing...

They'd all lied for him he realized, unable to even cry despite the need to. All of them, they'd all lied.

And Rishid, even after all that his father did to him... After all that he did to him!

"...R... shid..."

No one could hear him speak. He'd have been surprised if they even saw his lips move. They certainly didn't when his body filled with pain again, when the shadows began to eat him away. When he tried to scream but found himself unable, when the fragments of himself that were lost to darkness began to drift into oblivion. When something white grabbed at him...

And suddenly the pain was gone.

" _This way,_ " he heard someone mutter, a light push and pull easing him through the darkness as his vision strained. " _I can only give you so long you fool, so hurry!_ "

He only had one eye in the end. One eye closed to the field and the other slowly opening to shadows and light as he caught a glimpse of the spirit now reaching toward him. But as he looked at the faceless ghost that somehow repelled the shadows, the thing that somehow cast away the things that devoured him he had to bow what was remaining of his head in relief.

And simply let that ghost take what had been banished from the game to wherever this spirit intended.

When he opened his left eye, body left without the other, without legs from the knees down and scraps of everything else, he found himself nearly blinded by the contrasting light through the windows. Raising an arm to shield his eyes he soon found himself lowering it in shock- He was in one of the airship rooms. Bakura's, he was sure. But if this was Bakura's room...

Then that would mean...

" _Ten minutes,_ " he thought he heard the white ghost whisper as it faded into the air behind him. " _I can only give you ten minutes._ " Alright.

Ten minutes then. He wouldn't question the hows and whys of him being here then, at least for now. Malik swallowed as he walked toward the bed in the room, a stool from where the doctor had often sat still clearly illuminated by the light from the window. By the blinding afternoon light which so violently contrasted the storm he'd been pulled from, a light that was only marred by the shadows surrounding the tower outside. He wasn't looking at the tower though- just the room.

Rishid's dueldisk sat on the table at the side. The two chairs the room came with were scattered in the room from whoever had last sat in them, but in the end the stool was just fine.

Rishid was still sleeping.

He found himself wondering if it was his fault. If it was the Gods' way of saying it was 'his turn'. "...Rishid," he called out quietly, sitting on the stool as his eye dimmed. Ten minutes, the ghost had told him. He didn't know how long he'd been staring at the bed, and how long his fragmented and ghosting form had sat there. "...Rishid, can you hear me?"

Even if he could, how could he answer he thought bitterly. Rishid was effectively comatose right now, in a state only Gods could spare him from. And while the doctors said only a day or so would be needed to recover... The Gods were not so merciless.

But he didn't want him to suffer either. He didn't want anyone else to feel this pain, let alone him. So even if he couldn't hear him now... He had to at least say that, right?

Right? "...Rishid," he eventually said, not bothering to pay attention to the almost flickering form he held for the moment. "...I'll be going into the dark soon. The 'other realm'. ...I'm going to die," he added simply, shifting in his seat. "But before I do... Rishid, I need you to realize this... I need to tell you this, before it's too late alright?"

There was no answer of course- he'd hardly expected one. Even so being able to at least say this before he was gone left him with a bit of relief.

So he continued.

"...Rishid..." The blond sighed, bowing his head as he bit his lip. "I disobeyed the law of my forefathers... And I did a terrible thing. Eternal darkness and eternal pain isn't nearly enough to punish me for what I've done." For what he did to his family, for what he fooled himself into accusing an ancient spirit and king of...

And for all the terror and destruction he wrought as a result.

The body that lay before him merely continued to breathe in response to the words, and so the spirit went on. "...Rishid... When I went through the ritual of the tomb guardians you endured the same pain I did. You made a choice to live with me in darkness, sharing my sin and my destiny. But you don't have to anymore, understand?" he whispered, gripping his arm tight and staring at the carvings his friend and brother had inflicted upon himself. No more.

No more would he need...

"I don't know where you're wandering right now," Malik whispered, eyes dimming. "Whether you have been locked in darkness or if you only sleep, but know that there is no need for you to wake up to suffering anymore. When you wake up," he continued, somehow unable to choke or cry despite the flurry of emotions running through his mind, "When you wake up, be it in life or in death there will be people waiting for you. So I want you... To head toward the light this time, not the shadows. Understand?" he asked. One minute left, his mind told him. One minute...

He had to leave, but first just this last thought. These last words...

"Rishid... ...For all you've done for me," he wept. "... _Thank you_..." Three seconds.

Two. One.

Zero.

And the pressuring feeling and the absence of a body struck him once more, leaving him as naught but a single closed eye floating in pain on the field of shadows with scraps of his limbs.

* * *

It was only with bitter satisfaction that he could smirk at the sight of the 'other Malik' being thrown across the field by Obelisk's fist. That he could watch the cloak he wore briefly conform over the demon's knuckles before catching its victim on the ground.

The fact was just seconds after the fist collided the feeling was ruined by another damn 'flash'. As if his ability wasn't already a pain in the ass he thought with a growl- now it was making fun of him too. He'd already had a hell of a time with the summoning chants; Anzu had thankfully been able to explain those away as another 'locked memory' or whatever, making her somehow more informed on his ability than he was but...

Either way the words he spouted were gaining leery stares and wary glances. Not that those lasted long. After all...

In the end what happened on the field took priority for the moment. And for the moment what happened on the field wasn't involving screaming ghosts tearing flesh and bone from sacrificial souls, nor did it involve weak smiles and reassurances of safety and false calm. Malik... He'd thought he heard him whisper something, before Obelisk's attack. But as the Egyptian was reduced to disembodied limb fragments and a single eye there was no way for him to tell, no visual sign and no way of hearing what he had said.

Instead he found himself biting his tongue and watching as, for the second time thanks to precognitive pain in the ass abilities, a wall of reflective and mercuric slime rose around 'Malik' to form a cheap idol copy of Obelisk.

To say that the god wasn't pleased by this would be an understatement. " **You... DARE,** " he hissed, literally shaking as he stood and towered above the copy with his face. The metalloid being seemed to merely turn upward, giving no other reaction than to stare as its 'original' shook with rage. " **You DARE to STEAL the face of the GODS!** "

"Gh..." If the 'other Yugi' had his own words he wasn't sharing them, but it was evident that he felt similarly ticked about the now arisen challenge. He didn't even know if his friend had heard Obelisk's words. But regardless of 'yes' or 'no', there was not much he could do. He'd made his attack; now he had a move to finish. "I set a card face down," he'd said in the end, the blank tablet coming up just past his head. "End turn!"

And now it was Malik's.

And in four turns he thought to himself as numbers again filled his mind, they'd know exactly who won this match. No more...

No less. "Mine then," their opponent hissed, chuckling under his breath at whatever unknown plan he had. "Yugi," he sneered, shifting cards around in his hand. "Have you noticed a trend in my deck so far?" he asked, those watching merely glaring at the Egyptian with bitten tongues. "The theme of 'immortality' so prevalent in my cards? My deck has the power to bring God back time and time again until my enemy is defeated," 'Malik' announced as the storm continued to rumble ahead, "And the God Slime is no different! I now summon this!" he shouted, tablet rising from the ground with the card. "Revival Jam, defense mode! Following that," the Egyptian continued, an aqueous glob of white water seeming to stick along the edges of its summoned tablet, "I'll play a face down card, and end my turn!"

Yugi's turn. There was a look in his eyes that said he'd recognized this monster, along with its effects. 'Revival' was certainly accurate from what he could tell actually, but for now there was no need to target the jam.

Or was there?

"Shit," he muttered under his breath again, Otogi grinding his teeth from the side.

"Please tell me," he said quietly, their friend summoning a monster to his defense before continuing his move, "You didn't just see another pitfall."

There was no answer, a snarling growl and Yugi's shout cutting him short as Obelisk pulled an enraged fist back. " **HHHHAAAAAAAHHHHH!** "

"ATTACK THE GOD SLIME!" their friend roared. "GOD HAND CRUSH-"

"Reveal face down card," 'Malik' stated coolly. Obelisk's fist tore through the impostor before it, the tablet beneath the fist crumbling into dust. However... Rather than dissolve as it should, the ooze began to reform- globules of watery liquid gathered through the air, joining piece by piece and within seconds the duplicate face of Obelisk stood before them again. The formerly blank tablet beneath it crumbled into dust to join with the beast and as the 'God Slime' stretched and cracked its neck those watching stiffened and stared with baited breaths. "Polymerization!" Poly...

Fuck. "He fused the God Slime with the Revival Jam?" Honda repeated incredulously, shaking his head. "That- How can he-"

"They're both slime monsters," Shizuka whispered, her own disbelieving smile cracking as she shook her head. "Of course he can fuse them! And with Revival Jam's ability that leaves him with... With-!" The girl clutched the railing behind her, her brother finishing the sentence.

"A r'generatin' steel wall," Katsuya hissed. "'Immortal God Slime'!"

"EXACTLY!" 'Malik' cackled, eyes briefly glancing over those in the crowd. Oh... So he'd heard him then? Good for him, Katsuya thought darkly. Good for fucking him. "KhuhuHAH _AHAHA_! An unstoppable force with an impenetrable defense... Good luck reaching me now 'King'!" he taunted, wide eyes slowly narrowing in a calmer form of his mirth. "Though I suppose that in the end, it's still your turn!"

"Gh... Not any more," his opponent growled bitterly. With little else to do after all, what other option did he have? He crossed his arms and jerked his head across the field in gesture, jaw clenched in obvious tension. "I end my turn; it's yours now." Tch. Bastard...

Bastard! "Fuck... Not good," Honda hissed, eyes glued to the field like everyone elses'. "So long as that thing's there Yugi's not even going to scratch this guy..."

"There has to be some other way," the teen beside him muttered, fist clenched to the point where Katsuya idly wondered if the die grasped in it would be crushed. A few seconds later and his mind told him it wasn't and that Otogi had just now slipped it into his pocket. "Someway," he repeated quietly. "Someway..."

Briefly the crowd looked toward Anzu, expressions filled with a desperate hope only for the woman to shake her head. "Malik... ...Our Malik," she continued, turning away awkwardly as she rubbed her head in focus. "He never came up with this strategy. The 'slimes' were only to be used in an 'Osiris' deck," she continued softly, "He never thought of an 'immortal God slime'..." No...

No he didn't. That one was all 'evil Malik' on that one. And even though Yugi had an entire head and chest on him in terms of survival, hands and feet hanging disembodied on the air, it was looking more and more like they were on death's door, waiting for it to open wide and swallow them whole. And now...

'Malik's grin, though unchanged, somehow seemed more haunting than it already was. Three turns left.

He just hoped to hell the winner was the one they were rooting for.


	10. Sundown

It wasn't looking good right now.

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Trying to think of a way out?" the Egyptian hissed, shaking his head in amusement as his opponent seemed to bow his head in thought. "Don't bother Yugi... All you can do is wait for Darkness to consume you, there's no point in doing otherwise you know! So are you ready now?" he called out, grin widening. "I first play a card face down... And then summon Bowganian in defense mode," 'Malik' continued, the tablet rising from the ground to remain in its dormant state. "And so long as he's here I can whittle your life down bit by bit..."

By 300 points, his mind corrected. 300 points each turn, in Yugi's end-phase. _Turn end_ , he heard following that. He hadn't been paying much attention; from the side of the 'monster' that Yugi now fought, he'd thought he saw what was left of the real Malik move. That his eye, however small, had begun to open. And yet...

In the end it was just a trick of the light he told himself, and from across their opponent Yugi made his move. In the end it was closed over, looking just as weak as it had from the start. "My turn," Yugi announced, drawing his next card. "I'll also play a card face down," the boy began, blank faced tablet rising up to his side immediately. The stone beside it began to rumble with the motion, and as its summoner switched cards the rumbling increased. "Next... I offer the Big Shield Guardna as sacrifice!" Yugi cried, "And summon the Dark Magician Girl!"

The image on the defense monster's tablet washed completely clean as the sacrifice was made, smoke seeping into the air from its surface as it re-carved itself. Intricate runes and seals wove their way over the surface- the lines gleamed with light, and soon enough a young woman's shout pierced the air, the young mage pulling free of the stone with her staff in hand as she turned to give her summoner a polite nod. " _Let's do this!_ " she shouted determinedly, pumping a fist into the air and taking a stance. Hah...

Right! Though if Yugi had heard that, his only reaction had been to continue on as though nothing happened. Bowganian had to go if they wanted to keep their lifepoints intact after all. So with that in mind, the next course of action was only obvious. "Dark Magician Girl!" Yugi ordered, the young woman spinning her staff in hand with a smirk. "Attack Bowganian!"

" _Got it! BLACK BURNING!_ " she responded, staff pointed forward as the flames at the end appeared. " _GO!_ " The fires blossomed forward and for a brief moment his grin had returned. As usual however it seemed brief didn't cut it, when precognition got involved.

As fires continued to blaze forward without any sign of stopping he had to wince. "Hnhnhnhnhn..." He hated being right. "Not so fast," 'Malik' countered, the blank tablet at his side crumbling into dust within moments. "REVEAL TRAP! JAM DEFENDER!"

Katsuya and Anzu both ground their teeth at the shout, all others hissing as the God Slime brought a mighty fist down to block the attack. " _W-What..._ " The Dark Magician Girl tensed, backing away with wide eyes before growing red. " _Gh... Of all the cheap tricks! You-_ " Fires blasted back from the monster's fist, its attacker's shouts cut short with a scream.

"GHHA _AAHH_!" Covering the field completely the screams filled the air, and while the damage to the Magician's own form was minimal, the same could not be said for the others as burns began to appear across their bodies. "GH-... Nghh..." The 'physical' one was resisting the urge to grab at his arms, the unprotected skin growing red with irritation.

"GHHHAA _AHHGGG_... AAHHG... " The original on the other hand was still biting his lip, and though the fires passed through him Katsuya could only take staring at half destroyed pieces of his friend's form so long.

Particularly when the shadows and screams had returned once more.

"Aibou!" the 'other' Yugi cried, turning upward as the fires died into smoke. What was left of his chest was being ripped to shreds before the eyes of those who could see, and though the boy did his best to scream it was taking all Katsuya had not to make himself sick from the sight. As his rips were literally snapped back into shadows, his organs shredded until there was nothing left... As the others, unaware of this sight, merely screamed for their friend to 'hang on'...

...Couldn't they see? That he was already proving himself so much stronger than them! That his suffering, all his suffering would have killed anyone else in his place, that all of this was...

Was...

The screams had now died down.

And the monster before them continued to laugh.

"Hnhnhnhnh _ahaha_! Annoyed?" Malik chuckled, narrowing his eyes as the ball of slime that was God's copy hurriedly began to repair from the implosion that had occurred upon impact with the Dark Magician Girl's flames. "I would imagine so," the 'monster' continued. "Caught in an endless cycle of death and re-growth... You can't possibly reach me after all!" he sneered, again running his tongue along his teeth. "It's almost de-ja vu, isn't it? Just like our last match... The Jam Defender can't die, nor can my monsters... It looks to me as though your 'God' is the inferior one now!"

Again the crowd and competitors tensed, Yugi and the Magician Girl even hazarding a look back toward Obelisk in response. His reaction...

Was possibly more fearful than if he had shouted in rage. All he was doing was standing in the shadows of the realm, eyes narrowed to haunting slits as he crossed his arms and waited. Waited for when he would destroy the scum before him, for when he would receive his comeuppance... This wasn't the end though.

Not when the tablet at 'Malik's side now glowed with power, a smoking spiral appearing at its center with the sound of a cranking crossbow. "Done your turn?" 'Malik' asked, laughter dying to the sound of hissing and clicking on the air. "Don't forget Bowganian's power now..." Gh-!

An arrow shot from the tablet across them, and with a start the stricken duelist clutched his chest. "GH-" The arrow vanished from sight, and somehow, Yugi remained on his feet. "Nggh... A-aaah..." Right through the lung- the arrow that had shot forward was a clean and precise hit with the hole visible to him from between his friend's fingers and though the wound had begun to repair already, it nonetheless left Yugi gasping for air as he stumbled.

" _O... Other me!_ " the lighter one shouted, ignoring the fact that there was little more of him left than his head, hands and feet as screaming shades ripped and pulled at the remains of his body. " _Other me!_ " he cried out, " _Are you-_ "

"I'm fine," Yugi choked out, pulling himself upward with still rasping breaths. "I'm fine, I-"

"Bowing before your slayer now?" their opponent sneered, his grin widening as he was faced with a rage filled stare. All faces continued to twist in rage as the Egyptian spoke, their opponent neither acknowledging or caring about the reaction."The Pharaoh, the Gods... It matters not who you are!" 'Malik' cackled, "All things bow before ME... All things fear their DEATH, and I am the one who BRINGS IT! KHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! HAHA _HAHAHA! HAHA_ _ **HAHA**_!"

"Gh... This monster..." Katsuya shook where he stood, nodding as Anzu continued to hold her jacket close and mutter curses under her breath. Now that he thought about it... If anyone knew what kind of monster this guy was it was probably the one who'd gotten a thick dose of Malik's own memories, scary as the thought was. Tch...

"Bastard," the blond hissed, narrowing his eyes further. "There's only so much time left, an' with that slime there..." He froze, tensing as a sudden whisper came over the air.

That sound...

"...Hey... ...Anyone hear tha'?" he muttered, turning to the others in confusion. That sound...

Someone was whispering. "Hear what?" Otogi asked with a slight frown, the others more or less mirroring the expression. The group attempted to listen for something, before giving up and shrugging it off. "...It's probably just you," he decided. "You said the monsters spoke didn't you?" Well...

"Yeah," he supposed, "But this isn'..." He shook his head, only for his frown to deepen as he looked back to the field. "It's jus' a whisper from nowhere, all faint an'-"

"...Malik," Anzu whispered, the others turning as her eyes grew dim. The woman looked up toward the field, grip on her jacket tightening as 'life' slowly came back into her words and eyes. "That voice," she choked out, shaking somewhat as tears began to develop in reaction to whatever it was she now heard. "...It... It's..."

Malik.

" _Yu... Gi..._ " Malik's eye was open, if only a little. And his voice was as soft as the wind, " _Y... Yu... Yugi..._ "

"He's callin' for..." He was calling for Yugi, but Yugi couldn't hear. All he could hear was- "Gh!"

Katsuya stumbled back as Anzu quickly pushed forward, coming near the arena with wide eyes as the winds whipped hair into and off her face. "Yu... Yugi!" she shouted, the boy turning with a slight frown. "Yugi, I need you to listen! What I'm about to say... These are Malik's words, alright!" Anzu cried, looking up with a pained and despaired face. "Just listen... Alright?" Ah-

"Malik's words?" Honda repeated, shaking himself as the woman continued to hold back tears. "Anzu, what-"

" _Don't hold back..._ " The teen was cut off as Anzu bit her lip, before repeating the words with all the knowledge that they came from a dying man.

"Don't... Don't hold back Yugi!"

" _Crush him..._ "

"Crush this 'thing'... The 'evil heart' that we brought here!" she continued, still shaking where she stood.

" _Keep going..._ " Keep going...

But rather than repeating the words the woman bowed her head, tensing up completely. "I... … I..."

"Anzu," Otogi whispered, hesitantly reaching out toward the woman. "You said... 'We'," he said with an uneasy swallow. "Anzu... Are you al-"

The teen was held back as Katsuya brought out an arm, the others falling silent and continuing to listen. Whether Anzu was completely there or not wasn't the issue. Right now... She was crying. And for Anzu to cry at least like this, was as rare as the sight of Yugi's rage.

"We swore," she wept, holding her hand as memories that weren't hers played with her words and thoughts, "We swore after he died, after our father died, to avenge his death. By killing you... That was why the ghouls were formed, that was why we chased you... But we didn't know," the woman choked, shaking her head as she attempted to clear it enough to set the memories and emotions straight. "Malik... He didn't know the truth, he didn't know what killed him... That this THING!" she roared, turning on Malik's 'other half' with rage. "The thing that killed... That killed his father!" Anzu forced out, slowly setting the memories in their proper place while her eyes took a feral tone. "That his murderer was sharing his body the entire time!"

"Hnhn _hnhnhn_..." The 'monster's smirk widened in response to the snarls, arms crossed in mild amusement. "Oh... _Me_ ," the 'other' Malik chuckled in response. "Really... Your determination is impressive mister 'main personality'," the Egyptian chuckled, "But you should have realized this before your body became mine... You can take your guilt to the grave," he continued darkly, turning toward the scraps of his lighter self with a sneer. "I'm not going anywhere."

" _That's what you think,_ " the shade hissed in response, somehow able to speak even with only the top left half of his head remaining. " _I'm going to take you with me... No matter what_ ," he snarled, eye widening with an unmatched fury. " _No matter what..! I..._ "

"Malik," an additional voice whispered, Ishizu walking over from the side. Both the shard on the field and Anzu turned, the latter turning away with dull eyes as she again pushed foreign memories back to a separate place in her mind.

"...Ishizu," she said quietly, fingers digging into her arm as she turned further away. "...I'm... ...We're sorry... Above anything," she whispered as she shook her head, "Malik is..."

A comforting hand was placed on the girl's shoulder, Ishizu shaking her head. "It's alright," the woman told her, looking close to tears herself as her 'sister' turned. "Go on..."

Anzu nodded, swallowing back another wave of unease. "I... He wants to know... Why you never said anything," she forced out, shaking her head. "Why you didn't tell him who killed your father," she cried, "Why you didn't tell him that it was him... Ishizu," the woman continued, taking a deep breath. "You knew, didn't you? That this was ou-... That this was his fate," she corrected through her tears, "The family's fate... For Yugi and Malik to fight... The tauk told you didn't you? After you took it?"

"No... No!" Ishizu shouted in protest. "That wasn't it at all! Malik..." She looked back to the field, before turning to Anzu and continuing. "Even if you were obsessed with revenge... Even if you wanted nothing more than to kill the one we were to protect," she whispered honestly, "I wanted you to live more than anything! That was the only fate I wanted for you, the only thing I want for you now, and-"

"I'm not strong enough," Anzu wheezed, hands moving to her shoulders as she shuddered. "Ukht... To keep that dark side away forever... It's impossible. He..." She tensed, shivering becoming an obvious shake while tears continued to stream down her face. "He says... He won't let it happen again," she wept, the voice that she heard little more than a faint whisper to Katsuya. "That he'll put an end to his entire existence... That... No matter what..."

"Malik... Malik no!" Ishizu cried, turning to the field in horror and realization both. "No, you can't- MALIK!"

"YUGI," Anzu screamed, looking toward the boy with tear filled eyes, face red with despair and fury both. "I know... I know you can defeat his dark side! This is... This is your final test, alright?" she screamed. "So no matter what, for Malik's sake... I..."

"Nmnn-..! Malik!" For his sake...

" _...Kill me._ " In the back of his mind...

He thought someone woke up...

* * *

The fact that Anzu was crying was already enough to freeze him in his thoughts. More than enough in fact, to take the attentions of both himself and his lighter half, both of them watching as Ishizu held her head in grief, as Jonouchi and the others attempted to somehow help Anzu to stop her tears, to stop the final words Malik had left her.

The words that Malik's dark half was now spitting upon with laughter and taunts amid screaming shadows and roaring winds. "You?" he laughed, "Defeat me?" He turned to the sacrifice at his side, still sneering as the shard returned the gaze. "Your wishes are hopeless... And the time before your death is feeling all too long for me! SO, Yugi!" the Egyptian snarled. "Let's continue this duel! It's my turn after all! So lets see what I've drawn!"

The card he'd drawn was already in his hands of course; it was his expression that had him on edge however, the grin that 'this' Malik could use to flawlessly hide his intent. The moment the 'tablet' swung up into the air that intent was well revealed, with the grin growing to again inhuman width.

"Sffh-! That card!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Recognize it?" 'Malik' laughed, the card's face wiping clean as another was sent out from the Egyptian's grave. "Spell card 'Magical Stone Excavation'! Bringing back the Monster Reborn!" he continued, his opponent stiffening further. Monster Reborn...

One turn left Malik seemed to chuckle across from them, licking his lips in anticipation. One turn...

And then it would be all over. "Death's door is now before you," he chuckled, eyes widening further in their madness. The card was still in his hand, waved around in a constant taunt... "Take a good look," he cackled, "Soon enough you'll be pushed inside! HNHN _HAHAHAHAH_!" Gh...

Death lay before them, and before the ones they wanted to save. And yet through all this his partner was still the one pushing forward. " _Other me,_ " Yugi whispered, his darker half steeling his resolve. " _There has to be a way to save Malik... There has to be!_ " Of course... Of course there did!

And while there was a part of him that doubted this, the rest was being so reassured by his lighter half that he simply couldn't be bothered to acknowledge that doubt he held. This was his last chance, all or nothing. One last gamble...

"Let's do this," he said under his breath, his partner nodding. One last turn. One last turn, and if they screwed this up Hell's gates would open for them all. As long as the God Slime was there, they couldn't harm Malik. That, however, did not matter. The real Malik...

_Their_ Malik... They would not let him die!

No matter what! "Hnhnhnhnhn... I play a card face down," 'Malik' was stating from across from them, the hovering stone sending small trails of dust to the ground as it rose up from the field. "Following that I summon the swallowtail spike lizard 'Granadora' in defense mode," he sneered, the double mouthed being snarling from the crouched appearance it appeared within, "Giving me 1000 life points! END TURN!"

From across them, a small bit of Malik's arms had returned. The 'poison' that Granadora had released wrapped itself around 'Malik's dueldisk and with it the faint screams he'd heard around them grudgingly returned what they had stolen. That wasn't enough to wake him however, to shake him from the stupor that he had again fallen into.

It wasn't nearly enough. "My... Turn," he grit out, shaking on the spot and willing himself to do no more than that lest he reveal more unease to his opponent. Those below were holding their breaths. They knew the risks, they knew that his attack would spell Malik's end...

But there had to be another way. There had to be...

' _Why are you hesitating?_ ' he thought he heard someone whisper, the boy briefly looking up only for his partner to shake his head. It wasn't him. So then who...

Both pairs of eyes turned across the field, looking toward the single eye that Malik held. It was open. Wide open, with its iris turned directly toward them as it twitched and shivered in confusion. This...

"...Malik?" Yugi questioned. Could he...

' _Why are you hesitating?_ ' the Egyptian whispered, both boys unable to respond as tears began to run down the disembodied cheek. ' _I tried to kill you... I tried to kill your friends, and I almost succeeded,_ ' he cried, the eye again shaking as though a head were following. ' _No matter what I've done since then... What I did in that other world... Nothing can make up for what I did to you! So how... Why..! WHY ARE YOU HESITATING!_ ' he screamed faintly, eye squeezing shut as he cried. ' _Why?_ ' Why?

Because he wasn't their enemy he wanted to shout out, only to find his tongue unable to move to do so. Because despite what he thought he'd made it clear just what side he was on, and they wouldn't force him to lose the chance to build that slim trust developing. Not any more. Not now...

But how did they save someone tied to the one they had to kill, no matter what? How...

" _...Good question,_ " Yugi muttered, biting his lip as he gleaned the question from his partner's expression. " _If we attack there won't even be an 'eye-' Ah!_ "

...Ah?

The boy turned, his partner looking down with a set and determined frown. " _Other me,_ " he began, swallowing back growing unease once more as he spoke. " _Maybe there is a way! Listen... When 'Dark Malik' uses Ra's third ability... When he sacrifices all of his lifepoints to Ra,_ " he continued, " _He merges with it doesn't he?_ " Ah...

That was right, but what did that have to do with-

" _Even 'God' is a monster in a battle like this,_ " Yugi continued, turning back to face their opponent. " _Which means that for a moment, 'Dark Malik' becomes a monster doesn't he? And if he can use something like 'de-fusion' on himself... Then what else might work against him?_ " Ah? Spells and traps? Well... Beside that...

The other Yugi slowly turned back to the arena, realization dawning upon him as he stared across the field. There would be one life point left once 'Malik' formed his 'One Turn Kill'. Just one, but if 'Dark Malik' was destroyed and sent to the grave with Ra...

And 'their' Malik was left in his place...

"That's it," he muttered under his breath, drawing his card. "That's it!" There was still a way!

There was still a chance to win, still a chance to save him!

"Aibou... Thank you!" he called out, glancing at his card only briefly as he set it on the duel disk. "We won't fail in this battle! I set a card face down!" the boy announced, tablet hovering in place with the familiar carving of what he knew he'd set. "Next, I summon Gazelle, King of the Mythical beasts in defense mode," he called out amid the summoned monster's growl, "And end my-"

"AH-AH-AHHH..." The creaking sound of a loading crossbow took his attention, Yugi stiffening as their opponent again caught his attention. Gh... Shit! "Not so fast," 'Malik' sneered, a wide grin across his face. "Did you forget what this one does on your turn end?" Well...

Almost, he liked to think.

That wouldn't spare him though. "BOWGANIAN!" his opponent roared, the tablet before them glowing fiercely as the one-eyed crossbow warrior took aim with his gun. "RELEASE THE BOLT!"

_-ff-t_

"NGH- GH-HH _AAAH_!" The steel arrow struck exactly where it had the time before, with his hand reaching for where the bolt would sit as it faded into dust. Beside his heart, and through his left lung, leaving him to grab at a briefly bleeding wound in pain. The sensation however was thrown off quite quickly, when he remembered what would come next. "N... Aibou," he whispered, turning to the side with wide eyes. The shadows were eating at him again. And far off in the distance he could hear wailing and wordless screams, the wisps of darkness seeming to develop claws as they attacked. "A-AIBOU!"

" _Gh... Don't worry about me, 'Other Me',_ " his partner whispered, forcing a brave smile on his face even as fragments of it were destroyed. His right eye was gone, seemingly pulled out from existence by a great and monstrous hand. His body now was gone save his hands and feet... Along with disembodied shards of his hair, of his cheek, of everything. Nonetheless he continued to hold the smile. " _You can do it,_ " he forced out, the honest words somewhat marred by his own pain. " _...Other Me... Defeat Malik's evil half... Alright?_ " His eyes were closing over now...

He'd spent too much energy, and even before the game ended he was close to the end. No...

No... "Aibou..." Don't close those eyes, he wanted to shout. Don't close them... Don't! "AIBOU, DON'T GO!" he cried, almost backing away in horror.

There was no answer save for the shadowed wind blowing through his partner's hair, the boy's eye closed in 'slumber'. No...

NO! "Hang in there," he choked, shaking his head. "Hang in there, partner... I won't let you die!" Nor would he let Malik die, he told himself. Nor would Malik...

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Almost gone," his opponent sneered, knuckles cracking as he drew his next card. "And this is it now! This is my last turn, along with your DEATH... The Darkness is my ally until the very end!" he howled, teeth bared with all the ferocity of a monster. "And with this card I'll crush you for sure! Are you ready?" 'Malik' asked, his opponent swallowing as the sound of his heart-beat came through his ears. "With one single sweep of Ra's wings I'll FINISH YOU! REVEAL FACE DOWN CARD!" he began as smoke slowly swam across the air. "MONSTER REBORN... SUMMONING THE IMMORTAL PHOENIX, THE GOD OF THE SUN... RA!" he commanded, fires erupting fro the very ground as Ra again appeared before them in the sky. The flames rose skyward... Shifting changing, forming wings and claws, narrowed eyes and a toothed beak... "BURN HIS GOD TO ASHES!" Malik roared, howling with laughter. "HAHAHAHA HAA _AAAAAHH_!" God.

The God phoenix now rose before him and as it sent out a piercing cry of rage the God behind him clenched his fists in preparation. " **The FINAL CHALLENGE is now HERE,** " Obelisk snarled, bracing himself as Ra wordlessly made his attack. " **Are you READY, LITTLE KING?** " Ready?

What choice did he have?

Nonetheless he nodded. "I am," he answered, those at the sides not bothering to question whom he currently spoke to. "FACE DOWN REVEAL!" the boy announced ignoring cries of futility and uselessness from the 'monster' across him. The storm above grew more in ferocity... Red hot fires seared behind him, yet rather than the blue-armored God, Ra's flames instead struck red scales and blackened claws, a double jawed mouth opening to snarl threateningly at the god before it. "Recognize THIS card?" he roared, his opponent's expression falling like a stone at the sight before him. "THE MONSTER REBORN... Bringing back Osiris in defense mode, and takin your attack! I might have lost him as a result!" the boy continued lowly, ashen remains of God again falling to the ground following pained snarls while the dying fires faded to smoke, "But with the sacrifice of God's 'shield' I still have my sword... Ra returns to the grave now," he continued, eyes wide with rage to match Ra's spitting growls. "So what now?"

"What now?" 'Malik' repeated, laughter grating the air as the fires sank back into his graveyard. The laughter grew harsher as his grin took an even more maddening tone despite the assumed impossibility. "Why... I'm going to use this card... And I'm going to kill you," he told him, twirling the slip of card about in his fingers. Hah... Of course.

Sweat ran down the side of his face, Yugi swallowing as he forced himself not to react. Malik's battle phase was over. Ordinarily he'd be telling himself he was in the clear, that there was nothing else to worry about, but if he had one card, just one...

"So sorry Yugi," Malik sneered, setting the card on the field as a wave of darkness furled behind the Egyptian. "But my turn isn't quite over yet. I play one last spell!" he continued sinisterly, "Surprise attack from the darkness! And with THAT," he laughed, eyes widening further, "I BEGIN THE SECOND BATTLE PHASE... GREAT AND POWERFUL GOD RA, ARISE!" 'Malk' roared, the action mirrored by the yet unseen God as golden flames began to break through the shadows before them. " _Great God of all he travels_ ," he chanted, the golden sphere that was 'Ra' seeming to roll into the air before them as it took the form of the sun, " _Who creates all he sees, whose eye is the warrior Sehkmet, whose knowledge is unsurpassed, who sails on the evening barge of a million years, who is accompanied by Command, Perception, and Magic,_ " the Egyptian continued, arms outspread as they began to mist and smoke into the air with the fires around him. The wings of Ra had begun to click and unfold from the 'sun', claws extending forward and flaming red eyes opening to an almost glassy appearance. " _Whose Father is Nun, who passes life and death each day... Who battles with the dark serpent along side the God of Storms,_ " he commanded, legs already vanished from sight as he continued to stare at his victims insanely, " _I ask of you, the Great God Ra, that you come to my aid and take my power... That you take my life, all that I have and use it to empower your own... TO FUEL YOUR FLAMES!_ " he roared with the last of his being, the enormous griffin already standing behind the tower with a flaming mouth. " _TO COAT YOUR ENEMY COMPLETELY IN YOU WRATH..._ "

" **AND SO WE SHALL!** " they chorused, Ra's beak breaking open with a loud and piercing eagle's cry as the final joints of wings and limbs unfolded.

"DO YOU SEE?" 'Malik' roared from atop Ra's brow, the dragon's eyes shadowed by a black film as he laughed. "I have become ONE with GOD!" he howled. The Egyptian's body seemed to smoke with the same flames as the being he merged with, his cloak furling in smoke and fire both as he laughed. "NOTHING WILL STOP ME NOW!" he roared, voice thundering with all the force of the very storm around them. "NOTHING! HAHAHA _HAHAHHAHAA_!" A single eye was all that remained on the field of the 'monster's original form, and in a similar fashion it was all that remained of Malik's true half. It was now or never he told himself.

Now or never his partner was shouting, now or never, the others were shouting in the backs of their minds. Either now, or never again would they live to see the sun rise without the aid of this great golden being. Ra was merged with 'Malik'. For this moment and this moment only, it would be the dark side that was vulnerable to attack rather than the 'light'. So with that in mind!

_With that in mind_!

Eyes wide with madness looked down from above, 'Malik's smoking form grinning hysterically as he cackled. "Yugi... Once I sacrifice all these monsters Ra's attack power will rise to 6899!" he taunted, arms folded over as he sneered at his 'victim'. "A power FAR beyond YOUR God... BRACE YOURSELF!" he warned, preparing to strike as Ra did the same. "FOR THIS IS THE END!" Hn!

"We'll see about that!" he countered, crossing his arms as the enormous form of 'God' towered above him.

"Gh... WHAT?" the self-proclaimed God roared, Yugi's smirk growing wider. Hehehehehe...

"I've been waiting for this," he said simply, tapping the side of the duel disk as he spoke. "For the moment your evil 'heart' manifests in the form of a beast, rendering it vulnerable to MY attack... ACTIVATE FACE DOWN CARD!" the boy announced, tablet swinging upward as i crumbled into dust. As the sands flung forward, kicking up a whirlwind storm in their wake. "SOUL TAKER!"

"Sou- You... YOU PLAN ON SACRIFICING ME?" 'Malik' snarled incredulously, pulling back in apparent fear as he shook his head. "YOU PLAN TO KILL ME, ALONG WITH RA?" he thundered, the shadows themselves converging around him in his rage. Heh. Of course not.

Not yet. "Spells and traps work only one turn against Gods," he stated plainly, one target already in mind and already being sucked away into the raging winds as they moved forward. "You should know exactly what I'm targeting!" And if not then it would only be his fear that clouded his judgment- To sacrifice 'Ra' would be insane after all, he already knew that much! And for that reason, even as the winged God beat the air and shadows with its wings, even as they clouded the monster from sight, the cyclone seemingly pulling it upward...

Cheers were coming from all sides, but the fact was he wasn't aiming for Ra. So while 1000 life points were being added to Malik's own and to his growing attack power as a result, he had to smirk. "Sacrifice ME?" 'Malik' taunted, 'storming' forward as he broke free of the vortex that had been pulling all on the field upward. Rage filled Ra's eyes and the Egyptian continued to cackle, arms outstretched in his apparent superiority. "Fool... FOOL," he roared, thunder clapping with the words. "That card is NOTHING compared to ME! HAHA _HAHHAHA_! " Lightning continued to strike the tower with each laugh, and those at the side bit their lips as 'Malik' continued his attack. "NOW," he thundered, "Prepare yourself for the KNIFE, YUGI! KnhnHAHA _HAHAHA-_!"

"Heh!" Silence suddenly came over the air, the only other sound being that of the storm and his own voice. "Who said I ever intended to attack you?" he stated clearly, the laughter cutting short. 'Malik' looked down upon the comparatively minuscule duelist and the boy continued, smirk growing wider. "Sacrifice God?" Yugi asked. "There was no telling me that would work! Take a look at your monsters," he continued, eyes narrowing with a feeling of mirth he'd been unable to experience through most of the duel. "Is someone missing?"

"Missi-" _'God slime_ ,' someone at the side of the field whispered, the remaining drops of slime pulled from a now vanishing vortex of sand before a roar of cheers broke through the air. ' _The God Slime is GONE!_ ' they roared, ' _It's..!'_

"Hehehehehe... With one card," Yugi chuckled, "I lay claim to the two monsters making it... Revival Jam and Reflect Slime both!" At those very words the globs of slime that had been ripped from the sands split in two, each shooting toward the God behind him. The 'Jam' toward the left, ghostly face twisted in fear- and the slime to the right, with nothing but a reflection to show its evident horror. "You can thank your own cards for the 'visual effect' of apparently sacrificing you," Yugi continued, watching shock continued to develop over his opponent's face, "But I'll be sacrificing these two to activate Obelisk's greatest ability!" he thundered, the God behind him cracking his knuckles as he took the two slime-beings in his grip.

" **Hn..! Face your PUNISHMENT, 'young ones',** " Obelisk hissed from behind, crushing the two monsters as they both writhed in fear. The ooze squeezed out between his fingers, seeping between the armor with a slight wail as he pulled both fists back for the final strike. " **SOUL ENERGY MAX!** " he announced, 'eyes' wide as he gathered his power. " **THIS IS THE FINAL STRIKE..!** " Indeed!

"Prepare yourself, you who would dare to call yourself 'MALIK'... These are YOUR last moments on earth! AN ATTACK OF INFINITE POWER!" he snarled, pointing the God forward with a shou "NOW! GOD HAND IMPACT!"

" _ **RRRRR-OOOOOOOOHHHHHH-!**_ "

"NOT SO FAST!" 'Malik' snarled, the God he'd taken control of bathing itself in flames as the fist rushed forward. "I sacrifice my MONSTERS, BOWGANIAN and GRANDORA first!" the demon announced, each one vanishing into pillars of flame to join with the dragon's body. He now held an attack power of '4899' then, he thought to himself. But... Why would he bother?

"It doesn't matter!" Honda snarled from the side, initially joined by Jonouchi before the blond abruptly paled and fell silent. "Obelisk has infinite power," the teen shouted, "That's nothing compared to it!" And yet Jonouchi looked as though it was exactly the opposite...

"Oh REALLY?" the Egyptian chuckled, still grinning as clawed hands rose with his own to take Obelisk's fist in their grip. "We'll SEE about THAT... Aaaaaa... _HRAAHHH_!"

" **GH-** "

_-crack_

No... "Impossible," Yugi whispered, watching as Ra pulled at the fist he now gripped in his hand. As blood poured to the ground in a single torrential downpour, 'Obelisk' giving a loud and howling cry as his hand was torn from the wrist, as he was forced to pull it back and actually moan in agonized pain. "Impossible!"

"Hnhnhnhnhn... Even GODS know their BETTERS!" the demon above them sneered. "And of all THREE Gods, RA is highest in RANK... The powers of SUTEKH, and of the OBELISK are USELESS against ME! So TRY AGAIN!" he howled, the 'dragon' pulling back to develop a blast of flames in its mouth to counter. "The ATTACK CONTINUES... And this time you can DIE, you pathetic, dried MUMMY! GOD BLAZE CANNON! " 'Malik' snarled, eyes growing still wider. "I WIN!" Shit...

Shit...

Shit!

Not yet! This was his fight now wasn't it? His challenge? Then he would not fail- and as the 'Gods' had said, he would face it without their aid!

"Face down reveal!" Yugi hurriedly countered, the tablet swinging up even as Obelisk attempted to shield him from Ra's flames with the bleeding stump that was his wrist. "DIMENSION MAGIC! I sacrifice two monsters... Gazelle," he began, the horned lion crumbling into sand in an instant as a cage of sorts appeared before them, "And Obelisk!" And now...

" **You have done WELL, LITTLE KING,** " Obelisk moaned, slowly collapsing into dust and sand as Ra's flames faded with him. His melting face looked down upon the boy as he briefly turned his head upward, the dust flying forward to form what his trap had summoned forth. " **For the FINAL step... I leave your CHALLENGE to YOU,** " he whispered, before finally falling completely to the ground and shadows. The final step.

Alright then he told himself, biting his lip. Smoke filled the air around them now. Above him he doubted even Ra and 'Malik' would be able to see him, let along the coffin-like device that now hung suspended in the 'cage'. "What was the POINT?" 'Malik' taunted, shaking his head, voice somewhat faded amid the smoke that surrounded him now. "What was the POINT, if it means your last GOD is DEAD?"

"No one said that I needed GODS to win this fight!" he countered, narrowing his eyes. "I have my friends. Trusted partners who fight alongside me through all my duels, all my matches..." Friends that would help him win this challenge now, rather than relying upon divine intervention. "Take a look now," he continued, the Dark Magician Girl floating through the hole in the coffin as its magic activated in full. "Standing alongside each other, the highest level Magician and his apprentice! I summon the Dark Magician!" Yugi announced, the sides splitting open as their former prisoner stepped through. And looking at him now as the coffin crumbled to dust in his wake...

" _We will not fail you,_ " the Magician said curtly, taking a calm and confident battle stance before turning a narrowed glare to their opponents. " _Trust me, my king. We will not fail._ " Indeed.

And though he couldn't say he knew how this monster saw him as king, as cheers continued to fill the air around him so did his own voice. "The tables have now turned!" he snarled, looking up at the 'god' staring them down. "When the master and apprentice join arms they can destroy any one monster... And there's only ONE monster before me right now, 'MALIK'... SO-!"

So why was 'Malik' laughing again? "Gh... Hnhnhnhn... Hnhn _HAHAHA_! " Why... Why? "You can't POSSIBLY think... To kill US!" the monster 'laughed', seeming almost panicked from where he stood upon his golden 'throne'. "If you do this... There's only ONE life point remaining! You'll KILL him!" he cackled, shaking his head. "You'll leave him in such a BROKEN state that I will take CONTROL FOREVER! And do you think I'm LYING?" 'Malik continued, eyes widening further as he caught the fear filled reaction he received in response. Those below traded confused looks at the suggestion, and in horror their eyes were soon drawn back. "Do you THINK it's worth the RISK? Hnhnhn... Hnhnhnhnhn.. HAH _AHAHAHAAAA_! TRY IT!" he taunted through his laughs, "I DARE you! HAHAHAHAHA!" Gh.. No...

No..! " _Malik,_ " his other half whispered, shaking what was left of his head. With one point left... Did that really mean there wouldn't be enough of him there? " _No,_ " Yugi repeated, " _We can't do this..._ " The boy forced back a panicked cry biting his lip and again attempting to think of a plan. " _He doesn't have enough will left to hold on,_ " he whispered hopelessly, " _We need another plan! We need... We need-_ "

"MALIK!"

A single, pained voice roared out over the air, the shard of eye that hovered before them opening in shock. They'd almost forgotten that the real Malik was right there before them, but then again in a similar manner they'd almost forgotten about the one shouting just now. All eyes turned to the stairwell entrance, the source of the voice stumbling forward with rasping breaths.

"Hah... hah... MALIK!" he repeated, the eye turning toward the voice, Yugi growing stiff as the last of the smoke cleared from the field. This person...

"Rishid!" Ishizu shouted, hesitating as she watched the man stumble yet again. "R... Rishid!" He was alive.

"Hah... Hahhh..." He was alive, unharmed, and he'd come...

He'd come, for his 'brother'. "Keh... So YOU'RE still alive!" 'Malik' sneered, arms crossed from where he stood in flames atop Ra's head. "You probably came here the moment you WOKE UP too," he chuckled, only for his smirk to die into a snarling scowl. "Too late though," he hissed. "I'm FAR too strong for you to push ME away... My weak side is even more fragile than BEFORE!" the 'monster' went on, "He doesn't even have strength to SPEAK... Nor the strength to even LIVE! Your VILE carving won't save HIS sorry hide... You're just wasting your time! Hnhnhnhnhn..."

Rishid merely continued to stare in silence at those words, attempting to catch his breath while the wind scratched at his face. It was strange... Though most eyes were drawn to the field where Malik's body stood, Rishid's gaze was turned directly toward the 'eye' that remained of his good half. And though the shard turned away, likely out of fear and possibly embarrassment and guilt, the Egyptian spoke to it.

"Malik," he called out clearly, wind blowing the single lock of hair he had back in the air. "The cruel fate of the tomb guardians... This fate is what brought tragedy upon us, brought the hate and resentment which formed this evil heart within you. And you're about to throw yourself into darkness, and into despair," he continued, the darker half of the ghost narrowing his eyes from above. And the words sounded almost accusing with that tone, pitied and confused.

Enough that the darkness above them even felt threatened somehow. "Shut up," he hissed coldly, only for Rishid to continue on. "Shut..."

"Malik," he called out, raising his voice. His fists clenched and he stood up straighter, renewing his strength to speak- "No matter what, you MUST KEEP _LIVING_!" Rishid cried. "UNDERSTAND?"

"Shut UP!" 'Malik' countered, "SHUT UP!"

"Even if your path leads into DARKNESS!" the Egyptian shouted. "Even then... That is not just the fate of tomb guardians!" he announced, "It is the fate of _all_ humans!"

"Nngggh... SHUT UP!" 'Malik' thundered, face seeming to stretch and rage as the Egyptian gripped and clawed at the hole formed by his missing 'one life point'. "SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" What...

"What's going on," Yugi whispered, shaking his head. The 'God' was even flailing with its master's pain... Clawing at its skull, beating its wings against the air... "He's acting strange... What's going on?"

Malik...

The other Yugi frowned, eyes shifting from 'Malik', to the eye, to Rishid, back to Malik... "He's fighting," he found himself muttering, eyes widening as the eye he saw now appeared to look to his brother with renewed strength. "He's fighting, he-"

"MALIK!" Rishid cried out, "It's not through death that people enter Light... There is only Light in Life. The trick to finding it," he continued, holding out a hand as though waiting for his brother and friend to shout with him,. "The secret to reaching that light..."

_'Is pushing past the darkness first,_ ' they thought they heard someone 'whisper'.

And all at once an earsplitting cry filled the air, Malik's body jerking violently and pulling at his hair.

"HHRAAAAAAAAHHHH! URAA _AAAAAHHHHH_ H! HOW!" he wailed, unable to even touch his right eye as he shuddered and screamed, the patch seemingly filling in with light. "HOW CAN YOU- GLK- RHHAAA _AAAAAHHHHH!_ "

"YUGI!" the real Malik called out, his single eye looking forward from the body that had formed atop Ra. The boy's both stared with horror as complete calm washed over the right side of 'Malik's face, the real one staring out at them with adamant determination. "STRIKE ME DOWN, NOW!" That...

' _Malik,_ ' those at the side shouted in shock, despite the inability to see. ' _Malik, it's the 'real' one..! It's-_ '

"Stop that," 'Malik' begged, pulling at his skin as he wept. His nails were becoming bloodied, and identical scrapes were appearing on Ra's face as they pulled and pulled and pulled... "Stop that, STOP THAT STOP THAT.. YOU CAN'T!"

"This is where I get my answer!" Malik continued to bite out, again cutting his darker half off in his shouts as the clawing briefly froze. "Am I evil? ...Am I a monster? This is the moment of truth," he cried out, tears still falling from that single eye as Yugi stared. "GIVE ME YOUR ANSWER YUGI!" A monster?

Evil? Well he was neither of course, but simply saying that just wouldn't cut it now would it?

"Alright," he answered, nodding his head. He would put all his faith in him then. In that one point of life... "HERE I GO MALIK!" Yugi announced, pointing a hand forward as both magicians beside him did the same. "Dark Magicians combine your power... AND ATTACK!" he roared, runes and black flames growing from the tips of both staves as 'Malik' continued to scream. The fires spread, and grew in one single black sphere, before four voices came through the air in unison-

" _ **BLACK BURNING MAGIC..**_!"

And in the resulting crossfire of flames and thunder, of shadows and light nothing but thick smoke filled the air. 'Malik's form vanished from the top of Ra's being, and just briefly as he looked upward he could see its eyes regain the glow they had lost in battle... The fear-filled expression 'Malik' held was lost to fires and the shadows were encompassed completely in a drowning white light from the 'sun'.

" **You have done WELL, young KING,** " Ra cheered, wings spread wide as they bathed the arena in a warm and healing glow to contrast formerly rage filled flames. " **Let the SHADOWS return from whence they CAME,** " he continued, the darkness and the screams doing just that as his partner took a sudden intake of breath with repaired lungs, " **And let FATE decide the REST... You have EARNED my POWER,** " he said clearly, bowing his head in respect. " **But for NOW... Rest, young Pharaoh, for this is only the BEGINNING...** " The beginning?

And in the blink of an eye, all sound was returned to the field.

" _GHHHRAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! !_ "

Screams were filling the air, as much as black flames and shadowed smoke. "Malik!" Those at the side were calling out in worry, worry for the 'real' Malik, worry for what would happen if they failed. "MALIK!" Those that weren't screaming were shouting in shock, be it in response to the teen taking control at the last moment to assure them of his own fate or in response to the attack's violent explosion now filling the air with dust.

"RHHAAAA _AAAAAAAHHHHHHH_!" And still the screams continued. And still they filled the air. Until finally...

While their vision was blurred by smoke, a single shadow began to stand. And as those on the side stared there was only one thing they could think and pray for. That the attack succeeded. That the battle was over. And that the one standing there...

Was Malik.

Their Malik. The 'good' Malik. The _real_ Malik.

And as the others shouted toward the field Katsuya could do nothing but grin, the expression slowly coming over his face as the answer came to mind. Sometimes...

It was nice to get spoilers, if only sometimes.

The smoke was clearing from the field just now, along with the shadows of the game and the bonds that held Yugi in place. His body had returned, gaps of flesh and bone filling in despite the lack of lifepoints...

And breathing haggardly as he struggled to stand it was none other than 'their Malik' that looked forward with a weak and fatigued expression, hair matted where it fell down over his shoulders and on the cloak he wore. The battle was won. Even with one life point left after all...

This was the 'last turn'.

They'd won.

"Hah... Hah..."

"Is his dark side gone?" Honda was asking, those beside him waiting with baited breath. "Is it... Him..?"

Yes. It was.

Not that he was saying anything for the moment Katsuya thought with a grin, the others soon enough finding out themselves as the Egyptian before them stood. He was too busy looking at the 'other' Malik's face. Well... His 'piece' of face at least.

Ra didn't have time to heal the damned after all.

"Yugi," Malik said clearly, pulling the cloak from his shoulders and tossing it to the side where it blew off in the wind. "Our duel isn't over yet. I still have one point left," he continued almost blankly, bringing his hand back to his side. That was right, he thought plainly. Just one point...

And didn't the 'other' Malik look a little surprised about that. " _Wh... What is this?_ " he hissed, eye widening and turning down toward his former sacrifice in rage. " _How did you... What did he DO, how did I become..-_ " Ragged breathing met the air and the eye continued to shake, his former 'host' ignoring him. " _Master... Master, listen to me, listen!_ " he begged, Katsuya raising an eyebrow at the tone. At the sickeningly sweet tone, the begging the-

This voice...

This was the same damn voice the Millennium Rod had adopted as its own, like how the Tauk sounded like Ishizu, and how the Eye had held the same tones as Pegasus.

He'd been listening to the 'other Malik's voice the entire time. Son of a...

" _Master,_ " the other Malik cried out, still begging and crying as his end drew nearer. " _We... We're the same right?_ " he asked, quaking in his fear. " _You and I, we're the same! I've... I've always thought of us as friends you know, just... Sharing the same body! You can be the main personality again!_ " he cried, crazed laughter ringing through the air as a small flame with an eye moved to sit on Malik's shoulder. " _If we have one life point, there's always a chance we can win right? Right!_ "

It was pathetic, Katsuya thought to himself. Absolutely pathetic. They'd been afraid of this thing?

The tooth-covered eye seemed to roll in the fires it sat within, before turning away from its former 'vocal sibling' in disgust." _ **Pffffft. As if,**_ " the flame on Malik's shoulder snorted, Katsuya idly noting the change in voice that the Rod's form had taken. " _ **You can deal with it yourself, this is your problem now- My time is over,**_ " it continued, sounding decidedly calmer now that it sounded like the 'real' Malik.

The 'other Malik' seemed to tense with rage at the continued ignorance to his 'existence', shaking and quivering as his time continued to come closer and closer to its end. " _You... KILL HIM!_ " he screamed pathetically, continuing to wail as he faded a little more. " _It was because of him that you wasted your life in a dark cave! Get REVENGE!_ " he demanded bitterly, " _For yourself, for your ancestors! YOU-_ "

"Hn. I created you," Malik stated coldly, not even bothering to spare his darker half a glance. Though the words were in none other than the ancient Egyptian language Katsuya could hear them clearly, even as they resulted in confused stares from most of the others. "The dark side created by my hate and my suffering... You can't control me any more, understand?" he ordered, the eye in the air continuing to widen in shock.

" _W... WHAT!_ "

"You heard me," he continued, still not looking back. "I'm going to destroy you, with my own hands."

" _You... … You LIE!_ " the shade screamed, the remains of his face contorting with rage. He was still smoking away, stretching from himself as though trying anything to break free of its bonds. " _You LIE! YOU LIE! You'd simply kill us both!_ " he screeched, " _You.. YOU!_ "

"I won't die," Malik countered flatly. "The crimes I've committed will never be forgiven... But I will live," he continued, straightening himself and switching to the Japanese language as those across from him stared. "I will live," Malik told both them and his other 'half', "Bearing my guilt like the carvings on my back... Until the day that I find that light. So... Yugi!" he called out, his opponent blinking. "No... Spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh!" he shouted, expression calm. "Our duel is done. You have my thanks for saving me," he continued, the shard of darkness at his side still twitching and muttering pitifully under its breath.

_'No_ ,' the shard was screaming. ' _No you can't, you're not, don't..! Don't..!_ '

"Thank you."

_DON'T!_

' _I forfeit._ '

With a single hand, the disk was clicked off. Lifepoints dropped to zero and a faded scream hit the air, nothing but dust streaking from the edges of the eye in the air. "Begone, my dark self," Malik said stonily, never raising his voice as he held a hand over his deck. "I renounce you... My body is mine to control... And mine alone."

' _No... NO, I-_ '

" _ **Bye-bye,~**_ " the Millennium Rod chuckled.

' _GGHHRAAAAAAAAAA... GHHHAAHHHH..!'_ Screams... Screams... And then...

…

Wind.

The shadows cleared above and before anyone could react there was only the sound of wind...

And soon after, one single shout pierced the air. ' _The Battle City Finals are now OVER,_ ' Isono announced, his voice seemingly shattering a series of chains that had hung over the crowd atop the tower. ' _The winner is... MUTOU YUGI!_ '

Whatever anyone said next, he couldn't quite say; it was hard to hear after all, when over half a dozen people were shouting cheers through the air. But regardless of what happened it didn't matter any more. The battle was over. And all that was left now...

Was to pick up the pieces left behind.


	11. Dusk and Dawn

It was hard to remember what happened after the battle was over. The arena had lowered of course- it had to, if any one was going to get off. But even with shouts of safety and patience the still moving arena was hardly enough to keep them from swarming their friend as he slowly shook himself off, with himself and Honda already scaling the side of the lift with wide grins.

The 'light' Yugi had retreated to within the puzzle for a moment to recover from the duel, 'catching his breath' in a sense. The one in control however, the 'other', was turning toward them with an expression that slowly grew from dull shock over what he'd successfully done and into a warm and successful smile.

They'd made it through after all. The shadows were gone. The sun, though no longer in the center of the air, had returned to shine brightly in a blue sky. They'd won. It was all over.

All of it.

"HahaHAAAA! YEAH!" he shouted, already running to knock the boy over in a bear hug as the arena locked onto the ground. There was a short choking sound as his friend attempted to respond, soon deciding against it as Katsuya continued to laugh. "HAHA! Y' DID IT! Y' did it!" he cried, "Y' did great!" He pulled back, hands on his friend's shoulder's a moment before the blond moved for the others to come over. "Man... That out there..." Amazing.

It was amazing, it was... "You're the greatest duelist in the world now," Otogi complimented, bowing his head somewhat as he approached with the others. "Congratulations..."

"It's been a long haul," Honda added with a nervous laugh. Hahaha... Long haul eh?

"Tha'... That doesn' even cover it," he responded with a similar tone as he held back a shudder. "Tha'..." He sighed, shaking his head and looking back to his friend. "You alrigh'?" he asked a little quieter, worried glances moving toward the boy. He nodded, smile still in place. "Shaken," he said calmly, a short sigh escaping him. "But otherwise fine; both of us are," he added. "Ah... ...But Anzu," the boy continued with a cough, the woman in question jumping somewhat as he turned to her. "What about you? Now that Malik has his own body-"

"Eh?" Anzu blinked, turning from where Arabic chatter from behind had distracted her. "Oh! Oh, me.. I'm... I'm fine," she said with a slight laugh, rubbing her neck before coughing. "Just fine!"

"Are you sure?" Shizuka asked worriedly. The elder of the girls blinked, and the younger continued. "During the match... I almost thought you'd gone into shock," she warned with a swallow, shaking her head. "Especially after you passed on Malik-han's message. After that you were almost white pale," she said, "So... When you say 'I'm fine'... Are you sure?"

Anzu stared a moment, almost turning to look behind her again before looking to the others and nodding once more. "I am," she said calmly, taking in a deep breath. Her voice didn't waver in any way, despite the attempts to look back again- still, they weren't completely sure... But they again held their tongues. "I'm still missing a few memories," she was adding with a light laugh, shaking her head. "Probably from before Malik got in there, during when I was captured but... I'm fine now," the woman repeated. "I..." There was a short sigh, Anzu glancing at the ground for moment. "...I'm more worried about him," she continued, looking back toward where Malik now stood.

The Arabic had stopped Katsuya noticed. Now all there was on the other side of the field was awkward silence, the wind blowing Ishizu's shawl over her shoulders as she hesitantly prevented herself from pulling her younger brother close for a hug. She'd done that once already, that much Katsuya knew- she'd even climbed over the moving arena to do it, the thought of being able to reunite with her brother after so long too much to ignore. It was enough that she'd even allowed herself the freedom of falling tears. And in the back of his mind worried cries in Arabic had filled the air, with a thousand apologies coming between them, with a thousand phrases he shouldn't have understood, one after another after another.

Evidently, his mind liked to fill in the blanks when it came to things like this.

_'For thousands of years,_ ' Ishizu had said, Katsuya idly wondering why he was catching a glimpse of the past rather than the future for once in his recently hectic life, ' _Thousands of years... Our family has lived in darkness. Malik... There is no need to apologize any more,_ ' she whispered honestly, her brother merely staring back in confusion. ' _Darkness was our destiny, as was it your destiny to end it. Hate is never eternal- And revenge should never last as long as it has within our line, or for even a single life time_ ,' she continued, tears still dotting her eyes even after they'd seemingly dried out. ' _Perhaps our family was assigned the duty of this guardianship so that we could learn that...'_

' _But... Can our family live like this?_ ' her brother had asked, staring at the ground again with quivering eyes himself. ' _Out of the dark... Can we..._ '

' _What kind of question is that?_ ' she asked him, smiling as she shook her head. Her brother looked back up, and the woman continued. ' _The three of us, we are tomb guardians, are we not? No matter where we live, that won't change. We are family_ ,' Ishizu told the two, both Rishid and Malik staring with momentary shock before gaining their own expressions of guilty confusion and grief. ' _We will always be family_ ,' she continued, a few tears appearing in even Rishid's eyes at the words, ' _And as long as we have that bond anything is possible..._ ' Anything was possible...

Anything... "Nihan?" Shizuka asked, the blond shaking his head and turning to his sister. Eh? Katsuya blinked, looking toward the others as they turned to stare. "...Nihan?" she repeated, "Are you alright? You've been staring off for a few minutes and-"

Ah? He'd spaced out again? He blinked a few times, receiving nothing but a blank look from his sister as a result. Hah.

...Greaaaat...

He shook his head, laughing somewhat. "Hah... Yeah," Katsuya eventually decided, "I'm fine! Trus' me, I'm..." ...Fine.

...Family. 'Family' was a damn important thing he thought to himself, looking toward Anzu as she again forced herself not to look over at the others. Thanks to how divided his own had become when his parents split, he knew a hell of a lot about that. It hurt like hell to be excluded from your family but...

What did it mean then? When you had the memories of a family that you couldn't be a part of?

As it turned out Malik was wondering the same thing. Which was why soon enough the awkward silence that came from staring at the family and at Anzu's jacket covered back was broken.

"...Anzu," he called out, turning from his siblings as the woman in question jumped. The others stiffened with a similar response, eyes widening from where they'd been talking about what happened next, about what this meant for Mai, and for Bakura. Silence came through the air and again the Egyptian spoke, stepping forward somewhat to look at the one he'd shared a body with under an hour before. "Anzu... For what happened during the match..."

She shook her head, smiling. "It was nothing," she told him, cutting him off quickly. Her arm had absently rose up to rub her shoulder, as though nursing a stinging pain and she winced somewhat she continued. "I didn't want your words to go unheard... So I..."

Malik stared at her briefly, as though about to say something else before pushing it from mind. "...Anzu," he instead decided. "On the way back... I want to talk to you, alright?" he said, the woman staring in response as her friend smiled. "Until then... For all that happened, please know that no matter what, I-"

"You don't need to apologize," Anzu told him, again cutting the Egyptian off. A small smile came over her face, a few bits of the expression almost seeming to come from someone other than herself as she spoke. "I understand... The fight is over right?" she continued, turning from Malik to Yugi as the others came near. "The champion receives the ante, and we... ...And you," she corrected, "You complete the final part of being here..."

The woman turned her gaze to the ground after that. And as Malik nodded the others stared, still silent while they watched the Egyptian carefully pull from his dueldisk the God card that had been promised. "That's right," he said with an almost curt nod. "The time has come. ...The traps and spells cast on your friends have been broken," the teen continued, "And they'll regain consciousness soon. If their body allows it," he added quietly, looking down with considerably guilt at the thought of Ryuzaki's current condition. "For now... This is yours," he said clearly, the ring around his neck seeming to gleam almost deceptively as a card was handed forward. "The Dragon of the Sun... Ra."

The prize, Katsuya told himself blankly.

' _And mine as well,_ ' he thought he heard a familiar voice whisper, a faint and faded wisp of smoke shooting through the air. For a moment he thought he caught a glimpse of white mist shooting from the ring around Malik's neck- he almost wondered what it was...

But in the end it vanished so quickly that he shook it off as a strange trick of the light. Nothing, Katsuya told himself as Yugi slowly and quietly took the card. It was nothing, nothing at all and...

" _The three God cards,_ " Yugi whispered, misting to his partner's side as the 'darker' half slowly placed it in his hand with the two other's he'd pulled from his deck.

"Hnnn..." The cards were slowly slipped into the deck holder at his side, before another voice took their attention.

"Osiris of the skies, Sutekh of the earthen Obelisk... And the God of all, Ra," Malik began, the others looking back to him as he pulled his duel disk off. "These three cards hold the key to regaining the Pharaoh's memory... And in addition to that," he continued, hands hesitating only briefly over his shirt. "...The 'King's Memories'," Malik said with a swallow. Briefly, Anzu's grip on her shoulder tightened- her hand twitched somewhat even, as though attempting to do something herself, but in the end she and Malik both traded a look as the latter moved on. "Look closely," he finally said, his siblings both stiffening somewhat as he carefully pulled the black shirt off to leave the Millennium Ring dangling around his neck. "These are the carvings that will guide you to the next step..."

As Malik turned around the crowd immediately froze, a sharp intake of breath heard over the air as thick and cracked scars came into view. "Oh god," Shizuka whispered, a few of the others even looking away from the sight as they gagged. "All those scars..." Carved with cruel precision, left to scab and crack under the years while simultaneously being cared for meticulously lest a single line blur. There had been no mistakes in the carving of memories...

Not that he could _read_ them, he thought wryly. "These hieroglyphs," Ishizu began almost with a whisper, "Contain the words of a prophecy passed down from the first tomb guardian, who served under the royal family in the time of the nameless pharaoh. It was her last vision before death," she continued, "And it was following this that, according to records, the Millennium Items were sealed away. ' _Come the time far beyond the sun will arrive he with the powers of the Gods in his hands_ ,'" she began, closing her eyes momentarily. " _'By the Gods you shall know him, and by the Gods he will know you- for he is the one in whom the Pharaoh's soul resides..._ ' Yugi," Ishizu stated. "The God Cards you hold now are proof of your power. They are proof that the time has come... For the King of Egypt to recover the memories of the past. And within the remainder of this carving," she went on, looking to her brother as the teen shifted somewhat awkwardly, "Lies the instruction on your final steps before the end." The...

The end? "...You can read the hieroglyphs, can't you?" Anzu said somewhat quietly, her friend merely nodding as he stared at Malik's back. The woman stared for a moment, her gaze growing slightly dim as she continued. "...You can understand them then?" she asked, again rubbing her shoulder. Well...

Not in the way that she could, if that was what she was getting at. Nonetheless the boy nodded, still staring as his vision seemed to grow clouded. "Yes... ...And no," he said carefully, fingers twitching somewhat as they brushed over the cards at his side. "More like a feeling... A vision of sorts, I..." He shook his head, carefully closing the case at his side as Malik turned back around.

"My duty isn't yet done," the Egyptian said almost stiffly, pulling the cord holding the ring up and over his neck with a swallow. The Millennium Rod was next, the small flame on his shoulder slinking over to the golden staff as it was pulled from the belt-loop it had been stashed in, both objects balanced within his hands and shimmering in the sun. "Here," he continued, holding the items out toward the boy. "The Millennium Rod; like the tauk, our clan has watched over it for generations... And now, as it should be, it is yours. I also leave you with the Millennium Ring," he told him, both items glowing brightly as his friend hesitantly reached out to take them. "No doubt that it's better in your hands..."

Yep. That was probably right but-

Wait, the blond thought stiffly, eyes widening for a moment. Why the hell did the ring seem to suddenly be glowing differently?

Ishizu's voice pulled him from his thoughts, the group watching as Malik replaced his shirt before turning their attentions to the woman. "Yugi," she began, bowing her head somewhat in thanks. "My brother is now free of the darkness that plagued you before. You have my thanks in addition to his own on the matter."

"Breaking the darkness was your own doing," Yugi responded, his smile becoming a smirk. "Not mine... ...But what will you do now?" he continued curiously, his lighter half having seemingly whispered the same thing in his ear seconds before. "Now that all of this is over... What will you do?"

"Well... The details of what comes next are a little 'foggy'," answered the woman, seeming to try and make a joke out of the answer. "But whatever we do, it will be on a new path rather than the one that led us here. We will remain here to rebuild what has been broken down in our wake... After all, the 'Ishtar Family' has nothing but light to follow now."

"No doubt that we'll return home at some point though," Malik added somewhat cheerily, Anzu catching herself half-way through an agreeing nod as Katsuya stared. "But even before then... If we could speak as friends," he began, only to cut himself short as he caught the uneasy looks from those behind his former enemy. "...I..."

The crowd shared a few looks, before a number of them shook their heads and smiled. Heh. "What're y' talkin' abou'?" Katsuya said with a smirk, arms crossed. "Aren't we friends already?"

The Egyptian blinked, staring owlishly. "Ah-"

"He's right," Yugi continued, Malik's eyes widening somewhat as he looked over the group for any traces of the deception that he expected to see. "What you said on the field in our match... That doesn't matter, not now. We were friends the moment we left the 'Virtual World'- understand?"

"It'll take time for the wounds to heal of course," Anzu added from the side, her friend turning to stare in response. "Trust..." She bit her lip, an odd look coming through her face before she shook it off. "...It doesn't heal that easy," the woman forced out, "But in the end... What we have now, what we have here... I think that's a start," she decided. If not 'everything', it was a start.

Now then. "Well," Katsuya said with a stretch, rubbing the back of his neck as the others turned. "I dunno about you guys, but I think I could use a snack 'r somethin'... Not t' mention," he continued with a grin, "When th' others wake up, don't y' wanna see 'm?"

A number of the others brightened at the mention, whatever remaining gloom on the air seeming to vanish immediately. "That's right," Shizuka added, "And the hospital helicopter should be here any minute, that's our ride home isn't it?"

The blond nodded, each of the others muttering their own affirmatives as he turned to the side. "Hehehe... Yep! Whaddya say we leave this place in the dust, neh Seto-ch-" He froze, looking to where the woman and her brother had been standing moments before. Nothing but empty space... "...Eh..."

"Ah... ...Kaiba's gone," Honda muttered, blinking a few times. "But where..."

A sudden click took Katsuya's attention, the blond turning to where Isono now stood with a radio. Obviously no one would have heard that, he thought in the back of his mind, but what was he talking abou-

"TH-THIRTY MINUTES?!"

Isono abruptly shouted, his panic evident even from behind. Another click from the radio and the crowd jumped, turning to face the man with a somewhat owlish stare. For a moment he merely stared at the radio in his hands in silence, nervously adjusting the tie around his neck as he tried to breathe. Finally he turned around, another nervous swallow meeting the air as sunglasses were slowly removed and folded over in his hands, eventually finding their way into his breast pocket.

"...I... I have just been told to pass the message from Kaiba-sama," he began, taking a stiff gasp of breath, "That with the conclusion of the finals of Battle City... The tournament is officially over. Mutou Yugi takes the title 'King of Duelists'," he went on, the boy in question raising his eyebrow, "And the tower outlives its usefulness... Further more... In... Half an hour," Isono choked out, "The entire structure will be vaporized by high power explosives..." Wh...

What...

Shocked silence came in response to the statement, before it was followed by thundering heart-beats and panicked mutterings. "You... Are you completely out of your mind?" Honda 'laughed', shaking his head. "Are... You're going to blow up the TOWER!"

"Jonouchi," Otogi said rather flatly, "Your girlfriend is completely insane." Yeah, yeah she really was and-

"Gh-" He stiffened turning on the teen at his side with a snarl. "Otogi...! She ain't my girlfri-" This wasn't the time, it really wasn't. "AUGGGH!" The blond groaned, pulling at his hair a moment in frustration. "Why th' hell did she pick NOW t' be a sore loser!" Of all the times! Why NOW! "Gh... An' you!" he continued, pointing accusingly at Isono. "Why th' hell didn' y' say anything!"

The look on Isono's face was fairly torn. In fact it almost made him wonder if the man shouldn't have left his sunglasses on for the sake of preventing his own humiliation. "I... N... No... No one told me..."

The radio began to shake in his hands, the others staring for a moment in shock. ...Well. That was always... Pleasant. The amount of time they had to complain however was next to nill thanks to Seto's 'incredible' timing- and as the sound of a helicopter came over the distance, there was little else to do other than run for the tower stairs as fast as possible...

And pray that Seto and Mokuba would be waiting for them there in the end.

* * *

She'd left just moments after Malik moved to hand Ra over to her rival rather than staying behind to warn them in the end. Originally she'd thought of saying something. Perhaps reminding the boy just who would defeat him in the end, or simply giving him a grudging title and being done with it. But

doing so would remind the blond that she was there, and she didn't want to do that right now. Yugi had won after all. Against all odds, as he always had.

He had won and yet she was still surprised despite it being nothing new. Walking down the stairs and eventually entering the lift to the basement she found herself caught in a mix of emotions. Most were expected, if not disgustingly familiar. She felt rage...

She should have been on that field, beating Malik into the ground. She felt hate...

She hated Yugi for defeating her again, and again as he always had, something she wanted to grind back into his face with everything in her power.

And then there were the other emotions. Despair. Hopelessness. She never would beat him would she, a small part of her asked before being squashed back down into the back of her mind. Ishizu's words and and endless song were filling her mind, along with all the cries and shouts from the field... But she had a job to do the woman reminded herself, pushing the thoughts from mind. She had a tower to destroy and a plane to catch, and as Mokuba rushed ahead of her she found her gaze drifting over to the windows on the side.

"I'll unlock the hangar lift," he told her, looking back with a large smile. "Alright?"

The woman nodded, watching Mokuba do just that before again staring out through the window at the bottom of the tower. There was nothing but rubble outside. Littered with steel and concrete from an older time, piled on top of gathered gravel, steel, soil... Maybe the occasional dandelion even, she noticed dully. Hn! By the time this island went up in flames it would probably leave a real one behind at this point. Not that it mattered now-

What needed to be done would be done though she told herself, arms crossed as she waited for her brother to access the lift. The symbol of all that remained behind them, of the pain under Gozaburo, and of the hate remaining... It would crumble into the seas and nothing would be left behind, save perhaps a lump of burning soil. This was her last look at this tower.

And she was already sick of it.

"Nee-sama," Mokuba was saying from behind her, his sister dully acknowledging the sound. "The password's been put in. There's forty five minutes left until detonation, should we wait for the helicopter to make sure it gets here on time? We could always restart detonation time if we had to run an abort code." True...

But the helicopter should have arrived by now. Nonetheless she nodded, turning to follow her brother into the lift as she spoke. "Isono's been given notice to tell me when it lands," she said calmly, not looking to the boy at her side as she watched the floors move past through the elevator glass. "If it hasn't left this island by five-minutes-to then I'll cancel the detonation." She wasn't a murderer after all. Not anymore...

So if it came to it, she would postpone the destruction. Not that it would.

After all, everything worked out for 'that guy', didn't it? Whether for her rival or for that blond 'mutt' that she'd left at the top of the tower it all worked out for those two, allowing them to come through any challenge of their relatively unharmed regardless of what happened. They'd won their matches in the end- either officially or unofficially, they'd won. They had the right to celebrate.

They had the right to dance on the top of what would soon be a ruined tower before leaving for their homes as they bragged about whatever it was they had succeeded in. She however, did not. But what was it that Yugi had said up on that tower she thought to herself, the lift slowly moving downward as he eyes dimmed. Those words...

The things he'd spouted instead of announcing her defeat as he normally would have.

_'Hatred is a dead end'._

' _All you'll do is bring pain to those around you.'_

Those things... Not ten minutes after her duel she'd proven him right hadn't she, the woman thought to herself dully. Magic and shadow games and the 'power of friendship'... It sounded like the recipe for a children's comic to get people to figuratively kiss and make up instead of going after each others' throats as they instinctively would. The sort of thing Mokuba would watch on a Sunday morning. Heh...

It was almost funny. And yet...

This was the story of their god-damned life. All of Yugi's opponents, all of his fights since the moment she'd woken up from that coma... Pegasus with the Millennium Eye, Malik with the Rod, Bakura with the Ring, Ishizu with the Tauk. Millennium Items and Ancient Egyptian ghost stories and despite all the facts pointing to it never being real the facts nonetheless seemed just as insistent on making them impossible to fake.

Yugi fought for 'his' memories. He didn't fight for a prize, or for gratification. He simply fought so that at the end of the day he could go back to being a 'normal' kid playing cards in the corner of the classroom with his friends.

She herself had been fighting for years. Fighting against the monster that was Gozaburo, until even after death she was still gathering the anger to unleash on whoever crossed her wrong. And like the 'shadow games' that Yugi constantly brought to the field, so too was her own reasoning and hatred doing all it could to destroy her now. Pulling her apart and going so far as to pull ghosts from the past to her mind at each turn she took. Hell...

For all she knew it was that very hate that had allowed that 'ghost' to even exist as it had mere moments before, erupting in a pillar of flame that threatened to devour all she knew. She'd destroyed that ghost she reminded herself, fist clenching somewhat. Destroyed it completely...

But how, she wondered, her brother shouting a loud ' _come on_ ' as he ran from the now stopped lift into the hangar, had she done that. And more importantly had she really done that in the end? 'Defeated' him, the man that seemed to almost embody her 'darker side' even now? Mokuba had asked if she could drop it all just like that and go back to times when she smiled, times when life didn't involve a drive to surpass everything before her, a drive to simply win, at all costs...

Times when the simplest thing didn't send her off the edge, when she could actually act like a 'normal' person, or at least enough to come across as more than some iron-clad CEO. There were times when that image was needed after all, but those times weren't needed in her house, when she was with her brother. They weren't needed when she was outside of the office. They weren't needed when she was with...

Him...

Had she really defeated those dark and gnawing feelings inside she wondered, carefully picking up the locket she wore around her neck and clicking it open. All that anger, all that loathing that held her back from her win, the thing that prevented her from understanding the brother that stood before her now. That held her from seeing past her own illusion of a win to find the real way forward, to find...

Her dream.

' _Where do I go from here?_ ' she asked herself in the back of her mind, eyes moving from a slowly fading photo of her brother from years before. She'd lost this time- so what now? She would leave in the plane with Mokuba, return to work... Yugi would go back to school, and the 'Mutt'...

She'd rather not even touch that subject right now she thought to herself, closing the locket over in her hand.

' _Where do I go?_ ' she'd wondered back then, on the day they'd entered the orphanage. They'd pulled it off after all- they'd bought her lie and entered her into the system as a young boy, but what was there to do following that? School, games, sleep and hiding. Always hiding, something she'd had to become used to even back then. Yet somehow she'd brought herself to smile through those days. And on one of those days long ago...

The woman continued to stare at her locket, fingers slowly closing over it as her gaze dimmed. That was when she'd decided her 'dream', the childish dream that she'd managed to twist into 'Death-T' in the years that followed. And she could remember its origin clearly now...

They'd been building a sand castle to start with that day. In the end though, they'd gotten bored and expanded. Roller coaster tracks rose around the structure, soon enough accompanied by spinning cups and mid-way games... An entire park made of sand soon sat before them. It had taken hours of course- but her brother's smile had been worth it in the end so after all their work was complete she'd sat back and smiled.

' _You know what_ ,' she'd told her brother that day, dusting grit and sand from her palms as the boy stared. ' _When I grow up I'm going to build amusement parks just like this, all over the world!_ '

Her brother blinked, face instantly shifting into an expression of surprise. _'Ah..! Really, nii-sama?_ '

She'd nodded. _'Yeah... But not out of sand_ ,' she continued, smirking. ' _Real ones. Ones where kids like us, kids who don't have parents can play for free._ '

' _So... We can play together then?_ ' Mokuba asked, eyes wide. _'We can build them and play together?_ '

' _Yeah!_ ' Yes. That... That was the road to a dream she'd taken back then. A road that now lay buried in the rubble left behind in Gozaburo's wake.

Perhaps then, when this tower crumbled to dust... When this tower, like the 'self' that she'd had before all of this, before that fight with Yugi, was shattered into pieces...

"Nee-sama?" Mokuba's faded voice called out, pulling her from her thoughts. "Nee-sama," he repeated almost worriedly, "Are you coming?"

Again she turned, blinking slowly before giving the boy a confident nod. ...Yes.

She was. "Hold on a moment," she said quickly, a slight buzz coming over the radio on her coat. "There's something I need to do first." Notice had arrived of the helicopter's descent. It would take approximately twenty minutes for the comatose patients to be loaded and for the vehicle to take off- leaving very little time to do so.

For that reason they would not delay in loading the passengers and leaving.

"Isono," she began clearly, passing her message onto the man. "I want you to tell Yugi something... Tell him that just for now, I'll let him take the title 'King' this time. I'll re-claim it some other day... He won't be giving anyone else the honor. Until then," Seto continued, "Now that the tournament is over this tower has no use. In exactly thirty minutes," the woman warned, eyes briefly glossing over the timer at the side, "This tower is rigged to set off a series of heavy explosives. Make sure everyone is on the helicopter," she told the man. "And that no one waits. The helicopter leaves within twenty five minutes, understand?" Seto demanded. "You have thirty minutes until detonation."

" _Th-Thirty minutes..?!_ "

"Understand?" she repeated loudly, a choking noise coming over the end.

" _Of course... Of course Seto-sama_ ," the man said carefully, likely wiping sweat from his brow with the words.

Hn. "Good. Then there is nothing else to talk about. Good bye Isono."

" _AH- But, S-Seto-sa-_ "

_-click_

The radio clicked off and she again found herself staring away from the jet that would take her and her brother out of the room rather than toward it. Out toward the lift they'd taken downward, and toward the computers that were now feeding live film of the outside to the screens now. "Nee-sama?" Mokuba asked again, looking toward his sister worriedly as he stood by the door. "Nee-sama... Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said flatly, the response almost coming too quickly. Perfectly fine. She would put all of this behind her as promised and she wouldn't look back. She wouldn't even glance in that direction.

_'I live, an' we'll go back t' what it was b'fore,_ ' he'd said.

They'd forget about everything that happened and move on with their lives. Well...

Not this time, she told herself stiffly. 'Before' might have had its good moments but the fact was there was plenty that wasn't and plenty to be rid of. She would do as she promised- and she would die before she broke that promise a second time. She would not make her brother cry on her behalf again, mark her words...

'Before'...

If she was going to 'before' it would have to be long before all of this Seto told herself. Of that, she was certain. For all she knew the road to her dream went both ways even. Behind, to memories of when her brother was happy, to when she started it in the first place. Skipping over all that happened in between, over where she stood now. More importantly than that however, she would have to go ahead.

To whatever light was there. To 'victory'. To...

To...

_'More than anything'_ One thing... _'I really..._ ' Just one thing...

_'I love you._ '

To that road.

"Nee-sama?" her brother asked, the woman shaking off her thoughts once more as she climbed into the jet to take her seat. "Hey..." He paused a moment, allowing his sister to sink into subconscious motion before speaking up again. "Are we still going through with this?" Ah...

She turned, pausing from where she'd been about to start setting up the switches for the jet. With the 'plan'... "...We are," she finally said, before resuming her set up for take off as turbines roared and an engine began to heat. "We might stay at the hotel in San Fransisco a little longer than planned however," she went on, her brother staring curiously from behind. "After my meeting with I2 I plan to go over a few things concerning KaibaLand." A number of things in fact.

"Ah- KaibaLand?" Mokuba repeated, Seto nodding in response.

"Yes... But we can decide on that later," she continued. "For now," Seto told the boy, looking back for a moment, "Make sure you're comfortable; we have a long drive."

Again her brother nodded, a smile on his face. "Alright nee-sama. But don't space out like you did coming down," he continued with a laugh, "I don't want us to crash!" Eh? Space ou-

"Hn! The only one who 'spaces out' like that is Katsuya," she hissed, only to stiffen as her brother let out a somewhat shocked gasp. ...What. What was it? "...Mokuba?"

"You... You called Katsuya-nii by his..." The boy instantly grinned as he threw the shock from mind, his older sister sighing as she gripped the controls to her jet. Oh joy... "Heheheee! That's never happened before Nee-sama, what's with the sudden change? Tell me, tell me!" No.

"Gh- I'll explain later." If she wanted to. Which she didn't.

"Please?” her brother offered, only for Seto to stiffen further.

"I said later," she forced out, flipping another switch with a bit of extra force. "We don't have time right now!" And by the time she did he had better have forgotten about it!

"Alright," Mokuba decided. "But during the flight..."

She said 'forget' damn it! His sister decided to ignore that final comment, instead continuing to flip the switches around her in a subconscious fashion as her mind drifted from the anger buzzing about it at the moment. 'Katsuya'. Not 'Jonouchi' it would seem.

'Katsuya'.

If her brother caught that than the use of the term certainly wasn't something she was avoiding very well.

...'Katsuya'. First name basis with an idiot duelist like that... Hn!

For her to even think of being on those kind of terms with that 'mutt'... It was pointless. It would only end in misery, just as it had on the field she thought before pushing back the acknowledgement of any concern from mind. She didn't need to think about this Seto reminded herself, flipping yet another switch with a well hidden growl. Not before an important and likely ground breaking meeting with Industrial Illusions. Not before she finalized whatever plans would follow, not before she spent the next few hours flying a jet with her brother in it. Not before she finally managed to get some sleep after this hellish past few days. She would leave.

That was all there was on the agenda now. She would leave...

And after giving this some proper thought rather than bothering to scramble it in with everything else on her plate she would address it again. There. That worked. That was what she would do she assured herself, flipping the final switch with a quiet sigh. That...

"...H _ah_..." Damn it all. She could almost hear that idiot blond telling her off for 'running away'. And by this point, even if she was moronically considering the idea of changing her mind, it was far too late. Five minutes until detonation she noticed, her brother already sitting in his 'ready to sleep after an hour of flight' position. Five minutes...

And she still couldn't figure out what to say to that stupid 'mutt'.

* * *

"Damn it damn it damn it damn it _DAMN IT_..!"

The first thing they'd noticed in their rush to escape the doomed tower was that the elevator down was out of order- the lights inside weren't working, and the door was effectively welded shut with the lack of power. It wasn't a fatal issue of course; they'd still have time to reach the copter at the base of the island. It was more his worry about who might not have gotten there by the time they did that was keeping him in a sour mood.

"Gh... Damn that 'Kaiba'!" Honda was muttering under his breath, skipping every second step as he rushed down the stairs. It'd taken them long enough to climb these things after all; going in reverse just made it worse. "Can't she show at least a little restraint when it comes to 'getting over' things!"

"Ah- She?" asked Rishid from behind, only to be drowned out by other, more loudly voiced complaints.

"It's Kaiba," Otogi offered in response, the die-shaped earring swaying with each stair he pushed off. "What did you expect?"

"How about a less childish response?" Malik grumbled, before receiving a swat from Anzu. "Ow! Hey..!"

"This isn't the time to complain," she snarled, "Just pick up the pace and get to the chopper!"

"We're going, we're going!"

"Ah..." Again, Rishid shook himself, looking to the teens ahead of him curiously. "...When did you two meet, Malik?"

"Long story," they both responded, Rishid blinking owlishly as his sister shrugged and sighed.

"Explain later!"

"I'm sure Kaiba-han will want to know herself," Shizuka added from ahead of them, breathing somewhat laboured as they passed the middle of the tower. "Unless," she muttered dryly, "You think she didn't see that chanting, nihan..."

"Ehhhhh..."

"Chanting?" Rishid asked.

"Again," a majority of the group called out, the obviously confused Egyptian frowning somewhat in response, "Later!"

Thankfully this was enough to quell further questioning. Katsuya grit his teeth nonetheless however, hopping down another series of steps as he took the lead for a few moments before falling back yet again. "Gh... Righ' now I'm more worried abou' where th' hell she is," he muttered. "Vanishin' like tha' and givin' us a warnin' from the shadows!"

" _You... You don't think..._ " The blond turned, staring as the floating figure of his friend misted into existence on his side to frown. " _You don't think that she's going to let herself sink with this island... Do you?_ " D... What...

That she'd... Die?

As Katsuya paled the other Yugi shook his head, almost scowling at the question alone. "No," he growled curtly, the others too busy storming toward the now visible exit to pay attention to his words. "She wouldn't do that... No matter what, she wouldn't! Kaiba is the kind of person who believes in moving forward," he continued, skipping the last number of steps to jump to the main floor. "She believes in making her own future from whatever comes in her way... Something like this won't stop her. No... She'll live," he insisted.

Somehow.

Ten minutes until lift off he told himself, briefly stopping his charge from the exit to look back at the tower. Ten minutes left and he had a nagging sensation of dread, with a cold and chilling breeze blowing against him despite there not being a breeze at all.

' _Jonouchi-kun,'_ he thought he heard someone shout, the blond merely staring at the tower with wide eyes. Something was going to happen... Something was already happening and he didn't like it at all...

"JONOUCHI!"

"Nyh-!" He quickly found himself pulled over by the arm, Honda's eyes wide and almost shocked in appearance. "Honda-"

"Damn it Jonouchi there's five minutes left, let's go!" Go?

"But I-"

"She's probably on the chopper with Mokuba already!" he snarled, dragging his friend off to the island 'shore', "Come on!" Mokuba-

Right, he thought to himself, pulling his arm from Honda's grip as he ran forward with the teen. There was no way she'd sacrifice her brother for all of this... Of course they'd be waiting! What did he have to worry about!

And yet even with that, as he entered the large double bladed chopper for now evacuated staff to shut the door behind him... "...Where's S... Where's Kaiba?" he asked flatly, looking about the crowded room in shock. The helicopter was long and tube-like in form; most of those on board had already taken seats but as he looked around the number of people there and not there were made more than obvious. And even with two doors on opposite sides closed over, there was no answer. Not even to say 'in another room'. "Where's K-"

"Two minutes until detonation!" someone from the front shouted, Katsuya hurriedly turning back to the door. No...

NO! "Seto-sama and Mokuba-sama aren't on board!" he could hear one of the staff say in a panic, the others trading looks of fear and indifferent worry. Some weren't affected, being too busy with others that were on board; doctors were occupied with a still comatose Ryuzaki in the back room, and Kuzushi and Kyouko were both attempting to console a shell-shocked Mai as they took her in the same direction. Bakura was holding his head on the side, as though getting over an intense headache...

And Isono had just found himself pulled over by the jacket and into Katsuya's grip, the roar of rotating helicopter blades pounding his ears while he slammed the man against the door. "Stop th' detonation," he growled desperately, time ticking down in his mind as all others in the room stared in shock. "Th's thing can be stopped wirelessly can't it? Y' gotta stop it!"

The man shook his head, one hand gripping the wrist of his captor in an unknown reaction that completely betrayed his panic. "We CAN'T!" Isono insisted, the grip holding him considerably loose despite Katsuya's rage. "Only Seto-sama knows how-"

"THEN LET ME FIND I-"

"ONE MINUTE!" ONE!

"Damn it all-!" Before he could even move from throwing Isono to the side he had a number of people holding his arms back, incoherent snarls meeting the air. "LET ME GO!" he screamed, reaching for the door that stood before him. "She's gonna die damn it, she's gonna-"

"There's THIRTY SECONDS LEFT!" Otogi protested in response, the roar of rotating helicopter blades already joined by the humming engine as the vehicle prepared to take off, "You can't go out there!"

"I CAN DO IT!"

"No you CAN'T!" Honda snarled, "If we don't leave now we're all going to DIE!" But he could find a way, he could manage!

"Twenty seconds!"

The helicopter had already risen from the ground, the ticking of a clock sounding through the air. "Let me go," he wept, one arm pulled free from Otogi's grip as he reached for the door, "LET ME GO!"

"DAMN IT JONOUCHI!"

"You have to give it up," they cried, "They're gone!"

"TEN SECONDS!"

"LET ME _GO_!" His struggling was weaker and his face felt wet. They couldn't die, they couldn't, they...

"Five..."

"Nghh..." They let go, Katsuya collapsing against the door to look out the window as shudders wracked his body. "Damn it... This..."

"Four..." Why...

Why was she doing this, why... Tears were streaming down his face now and he could barely hear the words of those behind him. "Seto-chan..."

Why..? "THREE..." She couldn't die... "TWO..." She couldn't die, he screamed in his mind, fingers gripping the edge of the window as the tower below slowly grew smaller. "ONE..."

Zero.

- _BROOUMMMM_

A cloud of fire and smoke rose up into the air, the top of the tower the first to go as Katsuya tore his eyes away from the sight. A chorus of shocked gasps came from behind him. A few quieter cries of surprise as well, along with mutterings of the tower sinking to the sea in pieces. Of how horrific it looked, of how there could be nothing left beneath them... Of how everything was simply...

Gone.

The tower was gone he thought to himself as he sank to the floor, platinum dog-tags dangling around his neck as a painful reminder of who had given them to him. She was gone, Mokuba was gone, they were both...

"Wait..." Huh? Yugi's voice slowly pulled him from his stupor, eyes widening as his friend continued from his side. "In the smoke... Is that..."

" _RAAAAAOOOOOOOOOO!_ "

A dragon? The blond stood up in a mere instant as the roar screeched through the air, all others deaf to its cry. White scales seemed to be circling the flames that sat on the seas, diving through the wreckage to vanish from sight...

"Tha' sound..." In the smoking ruins of Alcatraz, they could see a shape. A thing with huge and wide-spread wings, a long and 'thin' neck, with white armor...

"L... LOOK!" Malik shouted, the Egyptian pointing toward the window. "IT-" A...

It really was a dra-

"HAHAHAHAHAAAA!" Hang on, was that laughter? One of the crew on the side jumped as the radio in their hands sprung to life, voices crackling through it as those on board looked from the device to the oddly shaped jet that was rising from the ashes on the side.

"That... That's a jet," someone hissed incredulously from behind, the 'someone' soon revealing itself as one of the more loud-mouthed members of Seto's staff. "That..." The woman quickly snatched the radio from the crewman's hand, clicking it on with a red-faced scowl. "KAIBA-SAMA!" she snarled, a majority of the others looking back to the window as a jet shaped nearly exactly like the Blue-Eyes White Dragon came into view. "Pardon my language when I ask you what the HELL you think you're doing!"

There was a short bit of laughter following this, the guard continuing to seethe in response. Oooooh... Well...

Katsuya coughed somewhat nervously, turning back to the radio as a grinning Mokuba came to mind. "Ehh..? You guys thought we were dead?" he asked incredulously, expression briefly that of blank shock. "I thought someone would have... Oh never mind!" he snorted, "We were focusing on getting out not getting caught in the explosion to tell you where we were!" Ahahahahaha...

That was all great but _damn it if they did that again_... "Gh... Mokuba," he hissed, gripping the window as he shook. "You..."

"Hahhhh... At least they're okay," Anzu grumbled, looking out the window incredulously. "...Some... How..."

Another round of sighs, the incredulous stare joined by most of the others as they gathered at the window. "This is just like hi... Her... It's just like her, seriously..."

"Stop correcting yourself Otogi, we have to act normal in Japan anyways." Hahaha... Hah...

DAMN IT ALL! What the hell was she playing at!

"Kaiba-sama," the guard at the side was hissing, face more or less hidden by her hair as she trembled. "When you get back here..."

"Oh, yeah, about that," Mokuba continued with a grin, Katsuya shaking his head and looking back out the window as the jet soared up to level with the helicopter at a safe distance. "You guys might be heading back, but we're not coming along just yet, okay?" EH!

"W-WHAT!?" he choked out, quite easily throwing in the response that 'Hime' had been about to give. "Whaddya mean 'NOT COMIN'!" There was a bit of laughter from behind the layers of glass and air, his face growing fairly red. "Damn it... STOP LAUGHIN', I THOUGHT Y' BOTH DIED I THERE!"

There was an awkward silence for a few moments until the boy shrugged, briefly turning as his sister said something before shaking his head. "Hah... Well, like I said," he began with a cough, "That wasn't our plan... And anyways, it's exactly what I said Katsuya-nii! We're going to the USA! There's lots of things for us to work on," he shouted cheerfully, sister oddly silent for the moment, "And after this next meeting we have there, we're gonna work on the next KaibaLand!" Ah...

"K-KaibaLan-" Oh yeah, they'd mentioned that... ...Ah! "Wai'... Jus' how long are you guys gonna be there?" he shouted, receiving no response.

"Jonouchi," Honda asked dryly, "Shouldn't you use the radio instead of shouting at the window?"

"ANSWER ME DAMN IT!”

Mokuba again turned to his sister, a rather wry smile coming over his face again. It looked as though Seto had just told him something- but whatever it was, he didn't appear to completely agree, and the fact was he was wondering why she didn't take the radio herself. "Hnnn... Who knows how long we're staying," he finally decided, leaning back on his seat in false indifference. "But Katsuya-nii," he continued, a grin coming over his face, "Don't think you've completely escaped!"

"Eh- Escaped?"

"What the hell is he talking about," Otogi muttered. "Escaped?" Yeah what was he-

The blond stiffened as Seto turned his way from the jet, a somewhat narrowed stare meeting with his own. It wasn't necessarily cold- if anything it seemed almost warm coming from her for once but... "GH-" SHIT-

SHIT, this was about the kiss! "Heheheh! Got it now?" Mokuba shouted with a laugh, apparently able to see the dread that had come over Katsuya's face. "As long as you understand I don't have to say anything! So until we get back you're on house arrest, got it?"

...Eh.

"H-HOUSE ARR-"

"Nihan," Shizuka asked blankly, "Did Kaiba-han just 'ground' you?" AH!

NO!

...

...Yes.

"GH- How come S- Kaiba can't tell me this on 'is own!" he growled in protest, hurriedly correcting himself lest the helicopter's doctors catch on. "I..." Haaaahhhg... "Damn it, give 'm the radio!"

"Give it to nii-sama..?" The boy turned back to his sister, the woman appearing to say something before he shrugged. "Uhhh... No can do," he answered somewhat confusedly, "He's not talking to you at all!" She wasn'-

WHAT?

"Hehehe... You'll have to wait to talk it looks like!" C-Come on that wasn't- "OH! But Yugi," Mokuba added with a grin, still holding the radio headset to his ear as he pointed toward the second person visible in the window. "Before we leave, I'm going to say one more thing... You keep that new crown of yours nice and shiny got it? Because someday when we're back, nii-sama's gonna win it from you understand?" he called out with a wink. "And no one else, okay?" Ah...

Yugi blinked, staring at the radio a moment before turning back to the window with a somewhat amused nod. "Hnhnhn... Right," he said clearly, the words not making it through the radio but nonetheless taking effect. Their battle wasn't over just yet... But they'd at least put rivalries aside for now. And speaking of 'now'...

"We gotta turn around now, alright?" Mokuba told them, his grin becoming a more softened smile. "I'll give you guys a call sometime soon, okay?" The pair both nodded, and in response to the radio's shutdown they received a large grin from the younger of the siblings. Good-bye, Katsuya thought with a somewhat wry smile, giving a small salute as the jet prepared to turn around. Good-

At that moment Seto turned back to the window again, an odd look in her eyes as she stared toward the window. It wasn't 'cold' as it usually was he noticed. If anything, it was...

"A-Ah..."

A smirk came over the woman's face, but it was not the typical expression she'd been known to take. And as she herself brought two fingers from her head in a short salute, it looked more like a smile than a look of superiority. In fact the blond thought in mild shock, if anything he'd say that what she was saying now, which would ordinarily be lost completely to the glass and wind around them...

' _See you later... 'Mutt_ ''

Gh... That-

He wasn't a mutt damn it!

Yet somehow he never scowled as the woman turned back and shot forward in that jet. He merely smiled and nodded, watching the white craft tear ahead before doubling back with a loud sonic blast.

Heh...

" _It looks like Kaiba-san's started the journey to her new dream now,_ " Yugi said from beside him, the blond looking back as the 'lighter' of two ghosts misted to his and the other Yugi's side.

There was a short nod from the ghost's partner, Katsuya doing the same. "...Yeah," he eventually said. "Looks like."

"' _KaibaLand USA' huh..._ "

"Heh... Can' wait t' see it!"

"I'd think you were more looking forward to her return," the other 'Yugi' responded, his friend's grin fading somewhat. Ah...

"...Yeah..."

" _I'm sure they'll be back soon enough though,_ " Yugi continued, giving his friend a supporting nod. " _After all... She might not say anything, but she does care about you._ " Did they really think so? ...Well...

He supposed that even if just a little... "Heh..." Maybe they were right. "There's still a lot for us t' do ourselves though neh?" he said with a smirk, a number of the others nodding as he moved to take a seat on one of the benches. "Like headin' back home! We've still got our own 'battle city' t' finish, right Yugi?"

His friend merely smirked at that, a quick nod coming before the two switched out with each other. " _Hn... Of course!_ "

"But for now, let's just rest," the real Yugi finished, collapsing on a bench as he sighed. "Hahhh..." Yeah... Rest...

Closing his eyes over for a bit, he intended to do just that.

* * *

It wasn't until the paramedics had come over from Ryuzaki's still slumbering body in a panic that he'd realized the black bag he'd been leaning against was a corpse, and that he probably had some of the best luck and the shittiest luck all at once. Because while he'd certainly gotten enough shut eye to calm down before the rest of what would be about five hours of flight time, the heart attack that came from sleeping on the corpse of Seto's doctor would probably destroy that anyway. Though at this point, he was suddenly feeling much better about Seto not being with them on the copter; he had a feeling Malik would have been dead otherwise. Of course...

When the paramedics decided to ask just why they had a mutilated corpse...

"It was a stowaway," Anzu had said quickly, Malik freezing from where he'd been about to guiltily step forward. The others briefly stared as the woman held her arm, expression set in stone as she went on. "While on the ship," she 'explained', Malik still looking back in shock, "A stowaway resembling Malik took his place- he was completely insane... He's the reason Ryuzaki is in the condition he's in now."

Ah... Well, speaking in non-magical terms he supposed that was accurate enough but...

"A stowaway?" one of the doctors asked again, Kuzushi frowning from the side but nonetheless remaining silent when she caught the obvious honesty in Malik's own guilty expression. Well... If there was any way to describe 'that' Malik...

"Tha's righ'," Katsuya responded, nodding his head. "Stow-away."

"And where would-"

"He stayed on the island," Malik rasped, throat notably taking his voice for a hoarser tone with the anxiety he had at the moment. "And got caught in the explosion..."

And 'he' was 'dead' long before as well.

The paramedics stared for a moment, as though waiting for the truth to come out on its own. Waiting for Malik to simply breakdown and confess, or possibly even pull out a weapon to deal with them all. Instead however...

"That's right," Honda said from the side, also stepping forward to nod. "At the last minute," he continued, the Egyptian still staring in wide-eyed shock, "The real Malik here managed to come-to and beat him to submission."

"We forgot about him in the chaos to leave," Otogi added helpfully, not bothering to address the mouthed 'beat him to submission' that Malik had rather incredulously given as Anzu stared with a similar look and shrugged. "Though it's probably for the best..."

"That's right," Shizuka decided with a cough. "After all, a madman like that... As... Cruel as it is," she managed to get out, "It's better that he's gone now right?"

The girl seemed to look back to Malik at that, as though waiting for a response while the Egyptian slowly nodded. "That... That's right," he said with a quick cough, the nod gradually picking up its pace in self-reassurance. "...You'll... You'll have to forgive me," he added, "I'm still in a little bit of shock, I..."

"Would you like one of us to check you over?" the paramedic closest offered, receiving a polite and hurried _'I'm fine'_ in response. "The shock is understandable given this rather intense turn of events..." Hahaha! Yeah... Yeah it was. And-

"Ah-!" Yugi jumped at the mention of 'shock', as though only just then remembering who else was on board. "That's right... What about the others?" he said quickly, the doctor turning back toward him. "One of you mentioned taking Mai to a room in the back..."

A nod. "That's right," the first paramedic, a name-tag identifying him as 'Iriyou', began. "She woke up shortly after transporting Ryuzaki-san, our current priority, to the helicopter's medical room. We had her in here to start," he added, coughing somewhat nervously, "But my partner was worried that the excitement would put her through more shock."

"Ah- More shock?" Shizuka asked with a swallow. There was another nod in response, before Honda and Otogi both looked down toward the hall and continued with the conversation.

"Is that where Bakura is as well?" the first of the two asked, receiving another nod.

"Ah... Yes actually," Iriyou responded. "We found him wandering around the island. It was... Very interesting," he muttered, Yugi and Katsuya both trading odd looks at the word choice. "Any ways, he was a little malnourished despite claiming to have eaten the evening before, so he was taken to the back to be looked over. We have curtains separating patients," he went on, "So Kujaku-san should be relatively alright..."

The two again blinked, before Otogi opted to push the question on most of their minds. "Can we see her?"

The paramedic blinked, looking up from where he'd been staring at the ground in thought. "Ah- See her? I don't think-..."

"We've been waitin' f'r her t' wake up since she passed out," he pressed, the smile from earlier completely vanished as he went on. "An' it's been hell durin' tha' time so... Please?"

Iriyou seemed to stare for a few moments, before sighing in 'defeat'. "I'll check with Hajosha," he finally decided, moving toward the back. "But whatever happened on that airship has left her in a bad way- she's extremely jumpy right now, regardless of what she herself insists." Ah...

Was that..? Was he serious? The boys again traded looks, Malik in particular growing rather pale before getting a hand from Ishizu and Anzu both on his shoulder.

"...Alrigh' then," Katsuya eventually said, biting his lip. He already had a feeling that they'd have to wait for a bit so... "Ah... What abou' Bakura?"

"Oh- Bakura-san?" the paramedic repeated, before gesturing to the back room. "He's right over here... Actually, before we brought him on board he was rather insistent on grabbing something from the airship..." Something? "He mentioned something about a deck... I believe this is yours," he continued, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it forward. Ah...

"M-My deck!" Katsuya choked, taking the cards in his hand. That's right, that would have been taken out of his duel disk! "But how-"

"Your duel disk is also on board," Kyouko added from the side, having walked back from the other end of the chopper. "Everyone on the ship decided to make sure none of the luggage was left behind- and a good thing too," she continued almost nervously, shaking her head. "It would have gone up in flames..." Got that right...

"Obochama needs to learn to communicate," Hime muttered from the side, the woman summarily ignored. Hahaha... Yeaaaaaaah... No shit.

"Well... We might as well go see how Bakura's doin' right?" he decided, looking to Yugi as the boy nodded.

"Yeah! Ah... Iriyou-san?" asked Yugi, the paramedic in question somewhat caught off guard by the use of his name. "We're allowed to see Bakura-kun at least, right?"

"Bakura-san?" He nodded. "Of course- just over here," he continued, leading them back. "Just remember to keep quiet, we don't-"

"-Want t' bug Mai," Katsuya finished, somewhat glad the line was obvious enough not to garner an odd look for finishing it. "Yeah... We guessed..."

* * *

The back room of the helicopter was likely about half the size of the copter itself, or at least half the size of the passenger space. The other half was divided into two other sections; the cockpit, where the two pilots were currently discussing things with the 'crew chief' as he was called, and then their own passenger room. Despite this size however, the back of the copter was a fairly cramped location; a large portion of it was reserved for Mai and Ryuzaki at the moment, one taking up the room by means of bed-space and machines while the other was being given space so that she could properly recover from a shock she refused to acknowledge. For this reason she'd offered to remain behind for the first bit of the flight while a number of the boys took to speaking with Bakura or sleeping on the side.

She needed to talk to Malik anyways.

"...So," Rishid, who had been staring somewhat oddly at the woman for the past twenty or so minutes of panic finally began. "You are... Mazaki Anzu correct?" Ah? He knew her na-

Of course he knew her name she told herself, he'd been one of the people in charge of her capture. The woman shook it from her thoughts, merely nodding an affirmative as Malik spoke. "That's right... Anzu is the one my soul hid in while the... 'Other me'," he began slowly, careful to make sure no staff or doctors heard him, "Took control. She's been extremely forgiving," he added, swallowing somewhat nervously as his friend blinked. "And actually..." Ehhhh...

God bless Ishizu she found herself thinking as the conversation sunk further into an 'awkward' zone- if not for her who knew how they would have explained this. "Rishid," the Egyptian woman began, pulling the conversation into Arabic. "During your coma, a number of things occurred that did not directly concern our brother's darker half. It is difficult to explain," she continued somewhat hesitantly, "But..." As Rishid stared, the expression clearly showing he was ready to take 'anything', Malik sighed.

"Hnnn... ... Rishid," he said after a few moments of 'hmm's and 'haah's. "In the middle of the night, the airship was pulled down into an undersea-hangar off the shore of Alcatraz; you saw how the balloon on the airship was missing right?"

The man nodded. "I did- however," he continued somewhat confusedly, "The most that the staff have mentioned so far is that there was a fire..."

"There was," Anzu said flatly, Rishid jumping with the sudden addition of another Arabic speaker. "When the airship left the hangar, a missile had been fired upon it by the computer located inside; but that isn't the point right now," she continued.

Another short span of silence came as Rishid stared, the man nonetheless nodding whilst he waited for them to continue. "Inside the hangar," Malik began somewhat quietly, "There was some sort of computer... Myself, in Anzu's body obviously, along with a number of the others, were forced inside a separate room of this hangar at gun point. While there, we were knocked out by gas and placed in 'VR-pods'. We aren't too sure of the details," he added, wincing somewhat. "But..."

"For some reason," Ishizu explained, "Due to the events that occurred inside the virtual realm, both Mazaki-san and our brother became aware of the other. Moreover," she continued, gaze growing dark and distant as her elder brother frowned, "They became trapped within the other's memories..."

"Trapped-" Rishid stiffened, looking to Malik with wide eyes only to receive a nod. Anzu was now gripping her shoulder again, adjusting the jacket over it. As to the rest of what they were explaining... It almost went unsaid. "Then... Among these memories..."

Almost. "I'm not asking for pity," Anzu quickly told them, a somewhat 'Malik-like' look coming into her eyes as the others stared. "I just wanted to say that before you finished. However," she continued almost depressingly, "I didn't want to cause any trouble because of what Malik might have remembered from my own memories..."

"Hn! I'm more worried about you," the Egyptian responded dryly, arms crossed in apparent annoyance. "Your head might not be completely sunny, but it was certainly brighter than mine..."

"Well... That's true," she said with a quiet laugh, "But it's still-"

"Awkward and 'traumatizing' are two very different things." Eh? Traumatized!

"I'm not-"

"Yes you are," he finished for her, shaking his head. "Whether you admit it or not, you are- that isn't the point though." The Egyptian turned back to his siblings, eyes somewhat hard. "Anzu and I shared a lot of memories, and not by choice... The fact is," he explained, "This includes _all_ of our memories; including the secrets of our clan."

"And thanks to how ingrained the memories became, it makes her the first woman with the 'mark'," Ishizu added, Rishid's 'eyebrows' rising in still more shock as he looked to her.

"The 'mark'? But _how_ -"

"It's a hypertrophic scar," she muttered dully, again pulling Rishids eyes toward her. Thank goodness for Kuzushi being able to explain _that_ but... "I think the computer... Triggered something when I..." The woman sighed, moving on and biting her lip. "I haven't said anything to the Pr- ...To the other Yugi yet," she corrected, shaking her head as she tried to deal with the awkwardness of the situation. Ack. And here she thought she'd sorted all of this out... The woman pushed it from mind, instead calming herself with a semi-audible sigh and speaking again. "Again though- that isn't the point. I... Because of what I saw, I know there isn't much time left... And I can accept _that_. It hurts," Anzu rambled on, "I mean... The other Yugi is my friend... But I can't just sit at the sides and watch with what I know now," she continued. "I..." What she was trying to say...

"You have memories of two families," Ishizu finished for her, Anzu merely flushing and averting her eyes as the stares of the others burned against her. "You're saying as much as you can to avoid it... But you just don't want us to leave... Do you?" There was no answer, and the woman looked to her younger brother. "...Malik... You as well..."

"I'll be the first to say that suddenly having memories of a mother is uncomfortable," he admitted, cutting his sister off somewhat. "But not unwanted."

"I've never had siblings," Anzu continued, grip on her shoulder tightening. "Despite all the pain in these other memories..." Well...

As horrific as they were, Malik had still had at least a few happy ones despite living in a hole most of his childhood. So...

She trailed off, gaze dimming. "I'm not asking to come with," she eventually said. "Not only would I just be a burden, but I myself wouldn't be able to bear even that- I have too much here, I have my mother, my friends... And Malik," she continued, looking to him for a moment. "Well... He has you," Anzu said with a smile. "He has his 'light'..."

"But... At this point," her friend added with a cough, both turning back to face the others, "Due to the nature of the memories we've split, I don't think cutting ties would be safe, so..." So with that in mind...

With what was still yet unsaid...

"Whoever Malik considers his family," Rishid cut in, quickly catching the subject that they were trying to both share and avoid, "Is considered mine," he said honestly. The man bowed his head, silence settling for a brief moment before he went on. "Be it as a sister, or as a friend, who am I to judge your place? Our hardships may be different," the man continued wisely, Anzu and Malik both staring in slight shock, "But they are not that different... _Sister_." Eh-

Sist-! The two teens both stared in silence, shock appearing almost identical on both faces. "Ah... That..." They both cut themselves short, bowing their heads in slight embarrassment. D-Damn it...

They were still speaking at once! "Hnhnhnh... Like husband and wife," Ishizu said with a chuckle, the silence quickly broken as a result.

"AH- Husband and-"

"ECK... That would be way too awkward ukht..."

"Like marrying myself..."

"Like doing myse-" The Egyptian quickly caught himself, suddenly giving himself a look similar to the one Anzu was giving him now. "...Shit," he muttered, "Do I really sound like that?"

"Yes..."

They both looked back to the others, both of the older siblings staring somewhat owlishly. "Hnnn... I think it's more like twins than a married couple," Rishid eventually decided, Ishizu merely nodding in response. "...Much more like twins." Ah... She supposed, but-

"Not that it's my business, but you guys can stop speaking in Arabic any time now." Eh-? The four turned, blinking as Otogi scowled from his position on the nearby bench. That was right, Anzu thought to herself, laughing somewhat nervously. He knew enough Arabic to 'pass as a tourist' right? So while he probably didn't understand most of what they said...

Just... Enough to feel out of the loop, ehe...

"Hahahaha... We can keep talking later, right?" Malik asked, looking to the others. There were a few nods, Anzu merely shaking her head in agreement and leaning back against the bench.

"...Right," she answered, before nodding again to reassure herself. Right... Well.

She felt a little better at least- and the fact was, she thought Malik felt a bit better as well.

* * *

"Damn Bakura. You're... Really mowing through that food." What Honda said was probably the only thing they could really say for the situation- and the fact was it was probably for the best, because the most Bakura could really do was nod and continue powering through the emergency rations that had formerly been packed aboard the helicopter. He'd already devoured what little they'd carried off the airship with ease... And if it came to it, the pilot had even given up his lunch (though Bakura hoped that he wasn't that hungry when it came down to it).

They had an idea of why he was so hungry ultimately- he would be too after completely vanishing off the face of the earth he figured but... Still. Watching him eat...

All that food...

Was actually making him nauseous. "Er... Tha' stuff even taste good?" he found himself asking about half-way through the rations, Bakura looking up with an almost naïve stare before glancing at the rations in question. Chew... Chew...

Swallow...

If there was one thing good about him being polite about this, it was not getting a face full of rations.

"It's actually not that bad," Bakura admitted, before taking another bite and wolfing it down. "I'm not even sure why I'm so hungry- I just woke up with an empty stomach on the shore of this island actually." Yeaaaah... That was... Well, they weren't going there for now. "Oh- that reminds me," he continued, coughing somewhat awkwardly. "Yugi-kun... Would you happen to have seen my ring at all?" AH-

Th-The ring! The others quickly turned back to the boy, his second half having appeared behind him to hurriedly shout off about how they couldn't let it back into his hands. "Ahhh... You mean you lost it then?" he ended up saying, going somewhat red. Not to say they didn't know why but...

Did they really have to give it back! The albino nodded, biting his lip. "Yes... I somewhat remember having it before I ran into Malik... But I can't really tell, since I wasn't all awake..."

He'd say, Bakura was asleep at that time... He shouldn't have been awake to start with!

With that in mind however there was a loud sigh, Bakura tossing back the last of the rations with a frown while the wrappers found their way into the trash. "There's something I wanted to find out about that device... That spirit," he continued, Honda biting his lip at the side while the others held their tongues. "The one you mentioned... Given that I somehow wound up in this tournament I suppose it's safe to say it took control again..." A short round of nods, the looks on their faces telling Bakura all too much what they knew of the meaning behind that. He'd put the ring on- and he'd screwed himself over. Of course, that didn't stop him from trying to redeem himself anyway- that would be ridiculous.

Besides, 'don't ask don't tell' right? There was probably some kind of reason. (Though what the hell would justify this..?)

"Y' know... Bakura," Katsuya offered, coughing somewhat nervously as his friend stared. "It might be best jus' t' let things lie f'r now..."

"Seeing how this thing got you hospitalized and nearly killed," Honda continued, Bakura wincing in response as he rubbed his arm.

"Hnnn... I know," the albino muttered, still not meeting their eyes. "But before I passed out, when we were on that airship... I think I might have seen him," he said almost confusedly. Er... See-

Katsuya blinked a few times, thinking back until the memory hit him full force. Oh shit, that was right! When they were on the field his last moment was spent staring at his own body, of course he saw 'him'! And that meant...

...Actually, he had no clue what that meant.

Their friend shook his head again, brows furrowed in thought. "It's strange... I don't know what to make of this spirit actually," he admitted. "First he tries to destroy everyone I know, and suddenly he's saving my life..." Not to mention Yugi. Heh! What a confusing 'ghost'...

"Honestly, th' less we know abou' this guy th' better," Katsuya muttered, rumbling coming from the bag the ring was in. At least for now. (Shit that thing was stubborn though...) He paused a moment, staring at it long enough to make sure that it wouldn't somehow 'magic' itself out of the sack before continuing. "Anyways... Glad yer back though Bakura- we were really worried about y' for a bit there!"

"Ah... You were?"

The others nodded, Honda crossing his arms as he leaned back against the door. "Yeah- We're not sure when or how, but the spirit in the ring forced you into a fight against the same guy Yugi just finished dealing with," he explained. "Again... Not sure what happened," he said with a shrug, their friend staring somewhat slack-jawed, "But whatever it was, he lost... After that, you literally vanished from the face of the earth."

Bakura seemed to pale at that, coughing slightly. "Hg... 'Vanished'? I just... Vanished?" Errr...

Yep! "Y' weren't on th' ship," Katsuya told him, nodding in response. "An' we hadn' landed once. Not many other options really." And it wasn't like you could argue that...

"H... Hahh..." Bakura bowed his head, eyes widening further as he ran those words through his head. Finding out that you'd been possessed was one thing after all, even when you knew the risks and tried to hide it. Completely vanishing from the face of the earth was another.

"Well... The past is the past right?" Honda finally said, giving Bakura a short but obviously friendly nod.

"Ah... Right..."

"For now," he continued with a smirk, "We can probably just relax for the rest of the trip..."

" _Right. Actually, I think I hear Otogi out there,_ " the other Yugi muttered. " _I wonder what's going on..._ " What was going on?

_'STOP TALKING IN ARABIC_.' ...He was trying to sleep that's what. A smirk came over the blond's face, followed be a rather conspiring grin.

"Alright," Honda muttered, "What's with the look..."

"Hehehe... Nothin'..."

"Is this one of your 'vision things'?"

"Ah- Jonouchi-kun," Yugi asked, "You're not going to start something right?"

"Maaaaaybe..."

"Eh?" Oh, that one was Bakura. "Jonouchi-kun, what are they talking about?" Ohh...

They'd find out. For now though, time to bug Otogi. Hehehehe...

* * *

The difference in noise levels from front to back in the helicopter was almost jarring if one thought about it. For the most part, she hadn't been paying much attention though. The first thing that had been on her mind after all was panic- fear for herself and the others trying to escape the island, fear for Kaiba and Mokuba, who were both still on the island...

And then they'd escaped.

Panic soon became curiosity. For a short while on the helicopter, she'd allowed her eyes to wander. To flit around the machines and equipment the copter was equipped with, to see the things that a paramedic would likely need to become familiar with. This could be her job one day after all. Her _job._ Flying over the seas to help someone in need. Someone like...

Like...

Keiichi.

Shizuka stood at the side of the bed, Kuzushi having been given the right to keep watch over the sleeping boy while the paramedic 'Hajosha' sat with Mai. By all appearances Mai looked fine from what she saw now. She was pale yes; but otherwise she seemed almost insistent to leave the back of the room, having barely convinced the doctor to move the curtain separating her section from Keiichi's. Evidently, given Shizuka's currently subdued nature and Keiichi's own obvious silence, Hajosha had decided it wouldn't hurt to give Mai at least that much air. It would help after all. To calm down, to steady the racing heart she'd had since the start.

It just made things worse.

For the last number of moments Mai had wound up staring at Keiichi's motionless form with quivering eyes, as though unable to connect the annoying 'manservant' from Duelist Kingdom with the nearly mummified form on the bed. Eventually she'd asked what happened, with a deceivingly strong tone while Kuzushi went over her patient's condition with the paramedic. For a moment she'd remained silent...

But in the end, nothing made sense with that. So she'd explained. She'd explained everything- About Malik's dark half, the one that had overpowered the real one. About Noa's world, where the real Malik had manifested and eventually fought at their side. About how it had gone beyond a ruse into friendship, with Malik risking his neck selflessly by the end of it all...

While his dark half half-slaughtered the only thing standing between 'it' and their lives.

"He's stronger than he looks," the doctors had said before, standing behind her with a comforting tone. "Any normal person would likely have bled out before they made it here, going into shock. But somehow he managed to get enough strength to get all the way to the ship first. It saved his life..." Barely...

But it saved him.

Shizuka wasn't sure how Kuzushi had been convinced to hold her tongue in all of this. In Kuzushi's eyes, Kyouko's eyes, all the staff's eyes, Malik had been a demon and nothing else. He'd killed one man, tried to kill countless others...

Perhaps it was something in the way he had prepared to confess to those crimes though she realized, silence having filled the room again as she and Mai held their silent vigil. Perhaps it was that willing drive to atone for what he did that changed their mind.

Along with everyone else's desire to cover for it.

Mai didn't understand. But Mai was still silent by the end of it, and though confused she nonetheless kept this to herself. From what she could tell Mai was used to hiding... Behind this curtain though, there wasn't much reason to hide what she felt concerning the body before them.

"Idiot," she finally whispered after what seemed to be hours, the younger of the two half wondering if maybe that wasn't an illusion after all. "He's an idiot... He should never have even been here," she continued, unknowingly repeating the very words Shizuka had screamed hours before.

She decided not to tell her that, instead nodding in agreement. "He shouldn't have," she instead answered. "...But he did..." As Mai turned, apparently about to speak, Shizuka continued with her eyes glued to the bed. "He never listens, Keichi... That's what makes him 'him', you know?" Without that trait, it just wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't... The girl shook, fingers digging into her knees as she went on. "Keichi... Even though this happened, he 'won' in the end. I wonder what he'll say," she continued, tears falling from her eyes despite vain attempts to wipe them away, "When he wakes up to find out he's got 'dueling scars' from a battle he _won_! Gh..."

"Shizuka-chan," Mai whispered, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "...I..."

"You know," she found herself saying, "I didn't know what to expect from you... Keichi never said anything good. But Katsuya, he had nothing _but_ good to say. Things like how you helped him in the Duelist Kingdom tournament and the 'Duel Monster's VR game... How you visited them on Valentines and gave him and his friends chocolate... ...Mai-han," she said quietly, turning back up to the woman and wiping her eyes. "...I know you don't live very close... To either of us," she added, shaking her head. "But even so... Even if it's just a phone call, or an e-mail... Don't just vanish, alright?"

"Ah- Vanish?" Mai asked almost incredulously, before forcing a small smirk on her face. "Really... What kind of person do you think I am," she laughed, "That I would just-"

"Just don't," Shizuka pressed, cutting the woman off. "You... To me, you make me think of an older sister. Someone I can talk to when I can't go to my mother, or to one of the 'boys', like my brother. I don't want you to just disappear, for me to find out that something terrible has happened... So please!"

"You..."

" _Please_..." More tears were falling from her eyes and as she moved to wipe them again Shizuka found herself turning to Mai, the blond having placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"...Shizuka-chan... I will... Try to keep contact with you and the others if it means that much. But I have other things to do," she continued, a long sigh passing her lips. In summary... She needed time alone.

"I understand," she whispered. "...Where will you go?"

"Oh... Somewhere," she decided with a half-hearted shrug. "I'm an impatient person you know- I can't just stay here after all. I'll probably call someone in to look after my house and take a trip to the USA... I have a step-father there," the woman went on, "So if it comes down to it I can always ask him for help. I'm sure it won't come to that though..." Or at least Mai hoped it didn't come to that, Shizuka translated out into her head. The less people she knew that came in her way the better after all.

That was how she was thinking right now. Even so. "You know that Katsuya and I... We'll always be willing to help you if you need it right?"

The woman snorted, crossing her arms. "Hn! Your brother could use more help from me! ...But... I'll keep that in mind. The doctors will probably want me to come with them to the hospital in any case," she continued, giving a slight yawn. "If you want to come with your friend here, you should probably ask now- Hajosha-san mentioned something about dropping everyone else off near the pier after all."

"...Right." Mai wanted to kill the subject, and fast. Alright then. She'd do that, she supposed. "...Mai-han?" she said after another few moments, the woman turning back from where she'd been looking for a watch.

"Hn?"

"...Thank you. ...And..."

* * *

" _Good luck_."

That was what everyone had said a short while after Mai had finally been spotted outside the curtained room, having been given enough permission to step out and sit with the others. Whatever they spoke about was mostly small talk to start with. There wasn't much time until landing anyways, so while it seemed everyone could guess that Mai was avoiding subjects such as Malik, or the tournament, no one could say much of anything at all.

It wasn't until the helicopter landed that they could. Shizuka wasn't allowed to come with the helicopter in the end it seemed, but as Mai had predicted she was being pulled away for 'just in case' reasons, with everyone else checking out perfectly fine. It seemed that the woman's still beating heart had 'betrayed' her as she jokingly put it. What could just be a little stress was enough to set alarms for the paramedics, and so as the door opened there was only one thing to say after their farewells.

After promises to keep contact, promises to follow their 'road'.

"Good luck Mai," Katsuya said honestly, a warm smile on his face. "An'... ...We'll see y' some other time, alrigh'?" he added, giving the woman a slight salute.

"Of course," she answered somewhat quietly, tone only slightly 'calmer' than it normally would. "...Good-bye Jonouchi, Yugi... Everyone," she added, bowing her head as the door shut. "Later then..."

Yeah.

Later.

Malik and his family had been the first to leave, having called for a taxi from the copter as they came near- it had been waiting for them in the pier parking lot, and after offering Anzu a ride back to the woman's slight surprise, the family had found themselves leaving without her. It wasn't as though they wouldn't see each other again. After all...

They'd be staying until the end of summer while they smoothed things over with pretty much everything in existence. Whatever 'everything' might be.

Otogi left shortly after that- he tried to leave a number with Shizuka before that... But evidently, Shizuka had caught on all too easy to what he was trying to do.

"I'll just ask Honda-han for your apartment phone," she told him, laughing lightly as the teen attempted to hide his disappointment. "That way, I can talk to both of you." And not get asked about dates, he realized shortly after growling at Honda's sudden grin in response.

And if Shizuka wasn't in danger of being pulled around by these two nuts, then he was happy as... Well, anything he supposed, dropping into a short laughing fit with Honda shortly after realizing this half-way through an 'attack'.

Damn good thing he'd caught that though, or Honda would have a broken nose.

…Like he probably did, right now. Given that he got punched in the face.

Three times.

Oh well.

"Looks like everyone's leaving," Yugi had said after a few moments, himself, Anzu, Shizuka and Honda merely standing there with Katsuya in silence.

"They all have their own 'roads' to take," Anzu said with a small smile, Shizuka nodding in agreement.

"Journeys and dreams... Like Kaiba-han is doing right now," she added with a small nod.

"Paths and goals," Honda finished, staring out at what was now a setting sun. "...Makes me almost wonder what we're going to end up doing in the end," he continued with a sad laugh. "After all of this... After school is over..."

Hnn... "Whatever it is, there's still time right?" Shizuka told him, the others turning as the girl smiled. "In the end, no matter what might come... The 'path' we take has a way of showing up for us, doesn't it?"

The others stared for a little while more, before nodding. "Right," Honda said calmly. "...Whatever happens..." The teen let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "...It's been a crazy few days, hasn't it?" he laughed.

"Hah! Crazy doesn't even cover it," Anzu answered with a smirk. "As it is," she added somewhat nervously, "I have a bit of explaining to do with my mom..."

"Ahhh... I should probably get a place to sleep as well," Shizuka added, Katsuya preparing to say something before Anzu cut him off.

"You know," she said with a smile, "I don't know if Jonouchi has much for you at Kaiba's house... If you like, you could stay at my house for the night." Eh! But he was about to offer...

Right. Pajamas. And stuff. "Ah- Really..? I..." The girl turned, her brother nodding and grinning in response.

"Heh... Ev'n 'f I said no, y'd still go anyways!" His head told him as much... Damn visions.

Nonetheless he found himself wrapped in a hug, his sister's grin widening as she pulled back. "Alright then, nihan... I'll stop by tomorrow though so we can have a proper visit alright?"

"Right! Ah-" And after that...

"I'll be heading out myself," Honda said with a curt nod, a slight smirk on his face. "It might not be that late, but after all that happened... Hhhaa _aaaahhh_... I could use some sleep," he forced out with a yawn, stretching somewhat. Tired? After all that?

He was just on edge! "H-Hah... We'll see you later then!" Yugi responded, their friends each waving as they turned to leave.

"Of course," Anzu told them. "Maybe even tomorrow," she added with a wink.

"Make sure you get some sleep!" Honda added from what was already a fair distance away, giving another wave as the others laughed.

"Hah!" Too many nerves... "We'll try, how's tha'?" Katsuya shouted.

The teen shrugged, shaking his head. "Guess it's better than nothing..."

There was no answer to that, Yugi merely sighing and watching as Anzu led a somewhat excited Shizuka down and away from the pier. The sun had now set in the distance. All that was left in the sky was a brilliant afterglow of reds and violets, staining the sky in a multitude of pastel colours. A 'half-rainbow', streaking across the clouds...

Everyone was gone, Katsuya found himself thinking as he stared out at the sea, his expression dimming somewhat in the silence. Everyone was...

Gone. "Heh... ...Damn," he finally whispered after a few moments, Yugi turning from where he'd stood beside him in silence.

" _...Long day, wasn't it?_ " the spirit eventually said, his partner giving him a bit of a look as Katsuya snickered.

"Hah! Puttin' it lightly!" Way lightly! Not that they hadn't said it enough... "I think abou' everyone we know jus' got hell tossed at 'm," he continued quietly, shaking his head.

"Some more than others," Yugi added somewhat wisely, before turning up to his friend. "...Jonouchi-kun..." Hn? The blond turned, before following his friend's gaze. His chest...

His... "Ah... ...Yeah..." The scar. Maybe not too extreme in how it came, but certainly a lasting reminder of what occurred afterward. About all the injuries, about all the secrets. "Hey... Yug'?" he managed to say, swallowing nervously. "About not tellin' you..."

A sudden rush of wind hit his back, low chuckling meeting his ears while the 'real' Yugi's spirit moved to float above the water they stood by. " _It's over isn't it?_ " he said with a shrug, wide eyes closed to match his grin. " _After all that happened, you can't expect me to get upset about it!_ "

"...Er." Seriously? "Yes I ca-"

"No you can't," the other Yugi muttered dryly, cutting the blond off. "We won't let you." He paused, before frowning somewhat. "Or at least, he won't let me," he added with a smirk, "Which will have us doing the same thing."

" _It does say something though, when we can take this as 'normal'..._ "

Katsuya snorted, shaking his head. "HAH! Like hell this 's normal!" Hahaha, this would be normal when heaven and hell switched places damn it. "Anyways..." The gaze moved back down to his arm, where he'd put his duel disk for the moment. His deck of cards had been placed back inside, shuffled and ready to go. And now...

The blond put his hands in his pockets, staring at the sky a little longer. Right now... Somewhere over the seas, Seto would be about two thirds out to her destination. Mokuba would be asleep... And his big sister wouldn't be frowning for once. If anything he wondered if the expression that he could dimly see in the back of his mind was closer to maybe...

A smile. "...Heh..." Almost made him laugh, that. But the fact was... Until she got back...

She probably still hated him for what he did at that tower. Or maybe she didn't. That would be interesting if it were true in fact! Until then though...

"Hey... Yugi?” he said with a smirk, the boy having just finished slipping a deck into his dueldisk with a nod. "Y' ready?"

"Of course," he responded, looking toward Yugi. "And we have our 'witness'..."

" _Psh! Like you need a witness!_ " the boy laughed, shaking his head as he took a 'seat' in the air. " _Fight with all you have, both of you!_ "

"Y' need t' tell us that?" Katsuya responded with a grin, nonetheless moving as he and his friend made enough distance for a field. "This is our final 'Battle City' match! We can't half ass this!"

"You shouldn't he 'half-assing' anything," his opponent added wryly. The only response was a shrug, disks clacking together as the game prepared for a start. Eh...

He knew that. What he didn't know thankfully was how this duel would end. That would be all left to 'chance' this time. "All set?" he called down, his opponent nodding.

"Same!" Hahaha!

"Alrigh'! In that case," he continued, holding a hand out as a film seemed to coat the air. "How abou' I open yer eyes?"

" _ **DUEL!**_ "


	12. Epilogue: The Scorpion and the Butterfly

It had been seven days since the event of Battle City.

She wasn't sure how, but it seemed that seven days was all it took for everything to 'blow over' despite how little time had passed. Maybe it was because of distance between everything; Kaiba was dealing with the repercussions from an entirely separate country after all, so there was only so much that those related to the dead and comatose could do in retaliation to the events. Or perhaps it was because the culprit had 'died' in the end, leaving the vengeance already dealt with.

Regardless of how quickly things had moved on she was still there in Domino, for at least until later that evening. A fact that left her with considerable time to explore the city. Shizuka sighed as she looked around her former home down, people wandering the streets and going about their daily businesses. Occasionally in the plaza she was at a few kids would try using their own copies of the duel disk. Summoning holographic monsters to clash, flipping cards to their defense.

After all that happened however, she could only look at those so long. They'd brought Keiichi's ruined duel disk with on the helicopter. It was with him in the hospital now, but when she saw the blood along the sides and the scratch marks caused by clashing blades...

The girl shook her head as the other Malik's haunting cackle came to mind, standing up to move from the bench. She shouldn't be thinking about this she told herself, pulling a bit of hair from her eyes. There'd been a reason why she came down here after all. It was wonderful visiting with her brother, but some time with another person would be nice before she left. Not to mention she'd left her phone at Anzu's during her first night in town as it seemed.

Whoops. "Hahhh..." Again Shizuka sighed, cracking and rubbing her neck while a few pigeons pecked at the ground. "This would be so much easier," she found herself muttering, "If he wasn't on 'house arrest'..." Supposedly, from what an e-mail that arrived the next day had explained, her brother's unorthodox grounding was 'punishment' for not saying anything about the duels or where the scar came from. For some reason she thought there would be more to the reason behind the action despite that being enough reason for the one instilling the punishment. From a parent anyway. From a housemate...

Something was off, but being able to take direct damage in reality wasn't really 'normal' after all, and in the end Katsuya hadn't said much concerning it. So ultimately she couldn't really ask.

"Guess who~"

"G-GHHAH!" Shizuka jumped as a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders, before hurriedly turning back to look accusingly at the source. "A-Anzu-chan..!"

"Hehehehe!" The woman in question merely grinned somewhat, crossing her arms. "Sorry, Shizuka-chan... I couldn't resist- you were drifting off more than even your brother!" Ah-

That didn't mean-

At the look on her face Anzu merely laughed again, before shaking it off and letting the grin fade to a more appropriate smile. "Sorry I'm late," she began, adjusting the vest she was wearing. "I lost track of time; I got your phone though," she continued, pulling it from her pocket to hand it to her friend.

"Ah-" Shizuka smiled, nodding. "Thanks... Was it too hard to find Anzu-chan?"

"Nope." Again a grin came over her face, the woman stepping aside somewhat to allow her friend some room. "It was just on the table. So," she continued as they walked, "What have you been doing until now?"

A shrug. "Not much... Mostly, I've been thinking... It's been a while since I saw this city," she continued, laughing nervously. "I've been here a week, but I still haven't managed to see everything!"

Anzu chuckled, shaking her head. "I would imagine... Has your stir crazy brother has been keeping you busy?" At the mention of Katsuya she sighed, nodding her head. 'Busy' put it lightly...

"Hahhh... It's horrible," she groaned. "He can't even go in the yard, so he keeps asking me to duel him during his off work hours!" More laughter, the pair slowly walking off from the center of the plaza.

"Well, if everyone in the building is keeping him inside, I'm not surprised... Did you humor him at all with the dueling?"

"Hnnn..." With the dueling? How to explain that... "I tried..."

"Tried?" Anzu repeated somewhat blankly.

Shizuka laughed weakly, the sound quickly dying as she held her arms close. "It's a little hard to look at even a deck of cards now, after..."

The elder of the pair blinked, biting her lip and turning away. "Right... I understand," she said quietly. "...Hey," she decided, putting a smile back on her face. "How about I show you around town today? You're leaving this evening right?" Ah?

She nodded, brightening slightly. "That's right; I was going to take the nine o'clock train actually..." It was going to be a long night with that in mind. But not a long day.

"We have from now until around dinner then right?" Anzu asked with a nod. "You want some time to say good-bye to everyone too, don't you?"

Again she nodded. "Yep- Kyouko-han has something set up already actually... I have until five." She looked around Anzu as they came to the end of the park they'd entered from the plaza, continuing on and smiling. "So... Where to first then? I was going to visit the hospital," she began, "But... I think that should be last neh?" Unless she wanted to end up depressed for the entire day at least...

Don't think about that though, don't think about it, she told herself. Otherwise she'd be depressed anyways, and then Anzu would get depressed and- "Ahhh... Alright then." Anzu crossed her arms, frowning with thought for a moment. "Hnnn... ...Oh! I have an idea," she said with a smirk, the expression looking decidedly unlike herself briefly. "Come on," she continued, the smirk moving into a more typical grin as her friend sighed in relief. "I want to show you something I remembered recently!" Remembered?

Heh! "Ah- Anzu-chan, what do you mean remembered? A-Anzu-chan..!"

That was about all she could manage to get out as she was pulled off to who knew where.

* * *

There was something to be said about missing a phone call. Generally, missing one was all it took. The next time it rang, the first missed round would have its owner on high alert so the phone would be picked up at the first ring. Maybe it would be missed one more time depending on location, but regardless. That was generally all it took, and he expected the same from who ever he called.

But no! That didn't happen at all!

Five times. He called five times to this phone, and still there was no answer!

"Grrrhh..."

Katsugi, as only a choice few people called him, scowled as he stared at the screen. Five times was only the count for the first day; he'd called at bi-hourly intervals during the daylight hours since then, and he expected a response. With that in mind he pushed the button on his phone to turn it back on and check his messages, only for his sour mood to deepen in response.

No response.

Nothing in his inbox.

He was still being ignored. "Rgggg..." The bespectacled boy continued to scowl, bag still in hand from where he stood outside his apartment. It was probably dumb luck alone that didn't have him on the streets those last few days; dumb luck and the youngest of his sisters at least.

' _He'll be gone before school starts_ ', Sen had told them, both Cho and Kansai merely crossing their arms with mixed expressions of annoyance in response to the pleas she gave. ' _Just wait until then! Please!_ '

It would seem that what little room they had in their heart for himself was more than enough for Sen; her pleas had worked. He was allowed to stay, not that he figured it would be long. Ryuzaki would call soon he told himself. At the time after all, he'd assumed it was just a matter of setting things up. Not getting an answer for so long however, changed his opinion on the matter considerably.

In fact it sent a cold feeling of dread down his back, a feeling he hadn't had for a while despite what he told himself. It wasn't the same as what happened during a duel. When he'd lost against 'Jonouchi', and against Yugi. That was a different dread, mixed more with detest and rage. It could hardly be called dread even.

This was an older feeling. A more 'pure' feeling if one could call it that. Ryuzaki after all, was easily annoyed. Pestering him enough would get a response with ease, that much he knew.

And the fact was while neither could very well stand the other for too long he was the closest thing to a friend that he dared to let near.

Friends, in the 'nice' sense, were hardly reliable after all. Pestering someone into aid was far easier and less likely to backfire as painfully in the end. Or at least he'd assumed so- by day seven, he was almost wondering if it would have been more of an investment to bother with the whole 'friendship' deal.

Maybe then he'd have an idea on what was going on.

The more logical side of him however decided to just remind him that he was just worried, and that it would do him more good to admit the fact rather than trying to make sense of it all. Which begged an entirely different question to tell the truth.

What in the hell had Ryuzaki out of commission for the week in the first place? His phone had been on for a while; and ignored during that time. Now it seemed that it had either been switched off, or the battery had simply run dry, its signal long gone. So the answer to this question?

There was none.

Next question then he thought mentally, staring at the screen of his phone with a frown. If he couldn't find out 'what', then how about where? From what the handy little phone tracker he accessed online, Ryuzaki's defenseless phone had apparently returned from Osaka to Domino-Tokyo, left Tokyo to sit over the ocean, paused momentarily there (hang on what?), and finally stopped moving around an uninhabited island that had formerly been home to a KaibaCorp warehouse. Something that had been replaced by, according to Google Earth at least, a tower.

The phone however had continued to move following a number of moments at that location. It returned, or seemed to be returning at the very least, to Tokyo. By the same route it had taken in fact.

And then it died without warning.

So, the answer to this question? Either Ryuzaki had gone home and never bothered charging his phone or turning it on, which was hardly likely... Or something had happened- and he was dead, either somewhere in the ocean, or somewhere in Tokyo. Even he had to admit that 'death' was something to avoid regardless of connections and concerns. The idea that it was possible however.

That he could be dead, that he could be cursing a ghost's name right now...

That, he decided, was the main source of his dread. Next question then, his prying subconscious decided stiffly. If something happened to Ryuzaki, he should have been admitted to a hospital somewhere- so which one would he have gone to? There were quite a few to choose from. Perhaps not as many as say, Shinjuku, but there was certainly more than one. Which was why he was now closing up this cheap phone of his and instead pulling out a map and a marker from the side. The map was laid out before him on the pavement of the apartment lot- and the marker lid was pulled off and momentarily left hanging out between his lips as he ripped it off with his teeth. Alright.

To work then. "The closest hospital to the route he was taking is here," he muttered, marking it off along with the route to its final point. "Located in the south, the General Hospital. Chances of being moved to the Children's hospital," he continued under his breath, drawing a small 'x' across the paper, "Are minimal..." The building was too far away after all. Unless...

He stiffened, a new thought coming to mind. It was too far away... Unless the transport didn't come from rescue by boat along whatever 'trip' his phone had apparently taken. Unless Ryuzaki had been picked up by something else. Unless...

The boy frowned, moving the marker along a second route toward another of the more distant buildings.

"...Nearest hospital with aircraft access," he hissed, standing up with an almost agitated glare as he stared at the sheet and the answers it left him with.

Domino University Hospital.

* * *

"The museum looks the same as ever," she had muttered, wandering the halls with Anzu at her side. The trip to the building had gone relatively smoothly, if not relatively silent aside from constant questions of where exactly they were going. When they finally did arrive at where they were going however, there was a bit of silence as she gave her guide a confused stare. It was, after all, Domino Museum.

The last place she'd expect Anzu to go out of her way to visit after all that had happened a week before. After the chaos with Malik. After all the horrific moments spent concerning Egyptian gods and shadow-formed monsters and chants her brother was unable to hold himself from repeating.

After the raised scar that remained from Noa's virtual hell, which she'd seen without meaning to after walking into her room with a question the first evening back. The scar that had formed only because the brain had truly believed the body to be in danger.

Yet here they were. Passing statues of demons and gods, of kings and priests, passing varied tablets and heading for one room in particular.

The room with the 'Tablets of Memory'.

"So this is the tablet," she eventually said when they came across it, staring at the enormous slate of stone. Two actually she corrected, glancing at the other well protected slab. Two. "These are..."

Incredible, to say nothing more. Anzu nodded, arms folded in front of her as she stared at them almost distantly. "Yep- This is what started everything off. On Marine day," she explained, turning to her friend, "I took the other Yugi out around town to try and cheer him up. Yugi thought he seemed a little depressed," she continued. "He'd asked me to show him around." That was how it started?

Strange beginnings. "Eh..." So then... Continuing on this tangent. "So you went on a date that day?" she asked, jumping at the response she received.

Anzu almost instantly tensed, blushing somewhat as she turned to the girl. "AH- It wasn't a date," the woman protested, face heating up. "B-Besides," she added with a cough, still blushing rather furiously, "Now that half my memories see him as some sort of great and mystical King... I... Hah..." She sighed, shaking it off. "I suppose in a way he actually is a 'great and mystical king', but regardless... With those thoughts suddenly there, it's hard to convince yourself otherwise..." She promptly crossed her arms, frowning and muttering under her breath. "I mean... He doesn't act like one most of the time but..."

Ah...

...She should probably stop arguing with herself, Shizuka thought almost nervously. "Ehhh... A-Anzu-chan," she called out with a cough. "You were saying?"

The woman turned, blinking. "Eh? Right," she said with a laugh, shaking her self. "As I was saying... For most of the day, he was in a relatively similar mood to what he'd been in recently. It was a bit of a pain to be honest... However, when we came here, that feeling seemed to vanish. These tablets," she explained, sighing yet again at some hidden reasoning her friend was unaware of, "Somehow, they're both related to the other Yugi's memory... Though in the end," Anzu muttered dryly, "They don't reveal much about him at all!" Oh-

"They don't?" Ah- Hold on then! If she knew that- "A-Anzu-chan! Does that mean you can read... All of this?" she asked incredulously, gesturing to the stones before them with wide eyes.

She nodded, the red flush from seconds before fading somewhat despite her immense embarrassment. "Yeah... Actually," she continued with a small laugh, hiding a smile behind her fist, "That's what I wanted to show you. The first tablet isn't much," Anzu explained with a slight shrug, gesturing to the stone at the side. "Other than descriptions of the monsters you see on it, the only other writing of interest are the summoning chants for the Gods. ...And I think we've heard enough of those for a lifetime," she added with yet another dry laugh, scratching her head as Shizuka did the same.

"Hahaha... Yeah..." And many many more, she added mentally. So if that was that tablet...

"...What about the other one then?"

Her friend gained a rather odd expression, Shizuka almost frowning in response. This look didn't seem particularly safe... "Hehehe... Take a look." Take-

She turned, staring at the tablet for a moment. It was exactly as the others described. The Gods at the top, someone with Yugi's hair on the side with the Dark Magician... "I know that this one is supposed to be the 'other Yugi'," she began, frowning as she looked to the fairly noticeable carving. "Ah... This other one though..." The frown deepened somewhat, and she looked back. "It's Kaiba-han right?" After the entire mess concerning genders she really couldn't be sure.

But Anzu again nodded, her well intentioned smirk growing wide with mirth. "Hnhnhnhn..! Right- when we started out, we thought the tablet was depicting a battle between the two," she began, arms still crossed while she explained. "In fact," she muttered almost darkly, "Ishizu seemed to want us to believe that..."

Well, if it got them to fight she supposed...

"However..." However? Again she chuckled, gesturing to the rest of the tablet. "As it turns out, it's the exact opposite..." she explained. "The tablet has them both fighting off great evil together! In fact," she went on, chuckling dying down, "From what I can tell... This tablet is actually a dedication to the Other Yugi's memory, made by the Priest... The 'Queen' I guess," Anzu added somewhat off-handedly. "It almost makes me wonder what their relationship was like..." With a dedication like that...

She supposed it made her wonder as well. "So... Kaiba-han's 'other life' cared a lot more about him than we thought then..." Her friend nodded, and Shizuka smiled. "Hahah..." Really, how interesting... "Well... It's almost like history is repeating itself then isn't it?"

"Ah- Repeating?" Anzu asked somewhat incredulously, turning back as her arms dropped to the sides.

Shizuka nodded, looking back to the tablet. "The 'priest' depicted is apparently male... And Kaiba-han pretends to be the same. And, like the Priest," she continued with a quick nod, "It was thought that she hated Yugi! However... From what nihan tells me," she stated, "I don't think that's the case. They might fight," Shizuka went on, shrugging. "And they might have an extremely bitter rivalry... But I think that if it came down to it, Kaiba-han would risk her life for him; both him and nihan both. She might not admit it," she laughed, "But she cares a good deal about her friends!"

Even if she didn't say they were. "Ah- Friends with Kaiba?" Anzu muttered, eyes closing somewhat in thought. "... Hn! A few days ago," she said somewhat quietly after a few silent moments, "I'd have said that was impossible. But... A few days ago..." Well...

A few days ago, things had been different, hadn't they?

* * *

"Where are you going?"

He didn't answer the somewhat nasally tone as it floated from behind him, instead busying himself with his continued search of the apartment for what had somehow wound up lost within yet again. "Out," he said somewhat flatly, wishing to say as little as he possibly could.

"Out to _stay_?" the woman in the living room questioned, looking up from a series of papers with raised eyebrows. The boy paused, sunlight bringing a glare against his glasses before he shook his head and turned away from the semi-blinding light.

"I don't know," he said flatly, standing up with a spiderweb-patterned wallet in hand. "Stop asking."

"Hard enough for us to pay for the apartment without highschool fees," she drawled, raising her voice a little more as her brother walked stiffly out of the bedroom. He knew that damn it, he knew how tight things were, and he'd offered a way to pay but they'd refused! So stop pushing the subject!

Just stop! He wanted to shout that right now but before he could...

As Katsugi's eyes met those of his sister's he turned away, Kansai's own gaze far overpowering his own. It didn't matter he told himself, pushing it from the back of his mind. Not any more.

And it wasn't as though he wanted to stay with the same people who believed in all-or-nothing when it came to his 'tuition fund'. "I'll be back later," he instead told her, adjusting his glasses and he slipping his somewhat worn shoes on. "If Sen asks, I'm at the park."

"Like last time?" Kansai responded, snorting incredulously. The sound echoed about the small empty apartment with an almost haunting tone, her brother easily able to picture the look of utter distaste on her face. "Hah! As if- you had her running around for hours. You know better than to get her worked up like that," she added darkly, her younger brother again pausing in his leave as he stiffened. "Remember what happened last time?" Last time...

Tch! "Fine then," he snarled, tone far more similar to his usual 'public' sneer. "Don't tell her! She'll keep asking either way though!"

"Then tell her where you're going for once, dumbass!"

"She'll just follow me," he protested.

"Oh, is that it again?" Yes it was! It was, now just-

"Just-!" The boy grit his teeth, wrenching the door open and slamming it shut behind him before he could hear his sister's response. Screw it, he snarled in the back of his mind, storming down the hall to the staircase. Screw her, screw Chou, screw everything about that place!

They'd probably just be having leftover rice anyways, it wasn't as though he wanted any. And Sen was probably busy as it was, so why was he so worried that she'd try and follow? Another door was opened and thrown shut, his face red and his footsteps as heavy as his feet could possibly bring them to be. Really.

If he'd at least made it a fair distance through the tournament he'd have probably held off the complaints until he left but no! He had to lose his top card to some blond scumbag, leaving him unable to even cheat his way through the tournament! The snake... Stupid, wretched-

_'It's your own damn fault'_ , his conscience sneered and-

"RRGGHH!" A stone was angrily kicked from his path, wallet stowed in his jacket pocket before he finally bothered to to close the sides somewhat. Stupid, he growled to himself, continuing to kick at the stones and trash littering his path, stupid! And watch- Ryuzaki probably managed to break an arm or something while on a boat or...

Or...

...Come to think he thought to himself with his ever present scowl, just what brought him back to Tokyo in the first place? The kid he'd convinced to steal Jonouchi's deck mentioned someone similar in appearance to him, but this was around the same time that he'd received a mail from him saying he was 'disqualified'. So with that in mind...

...No, he told himself, crossing yet another street on his trek to the hospital he'd decided made the most sense. Ryuzaki played along with him when he mouthed Yugi off. Ryuzaki had been the one to grudgingly thank him for the tip on the latest tournament, giving an honest 'thanks' rather than doing what he himself would have and being smug and closed off about it. There was no way he wouldn't have done the same in regards to the supposed 'King's friend. No way he'd have gone from shouting threats at his side to 'joining the enemy' so to speak.

So then what had he been doing here damn it! WHY was he here! The answer to that question...

With the hospital standing before him, he supposed he was about to finally get one.

* * *

By the time they'd left the museum the sun's position left little to question on how much time they had left for the day together. The clock of course offered a little more aid in that regard, but it was nonetheless obvious that 'high noon' had passed, given the shadows that no longer sat directly beneath them in the sun. It was now two o'clock; Anzu was to meet with Yugi around three in the middle of the very plaza that she and Shizuka had met up in according to the woman, and so they decided to head back rather than distract themselves with anything else they could do.

"Sorry about the 'tour'," Anzu ended up saying with a somewhat apologetic laugh. "I'd honestly thought we wouldn't take so long at the museum... I was even going to stop by the aquarium where your brother fought Kajiki," she added, rubbing the back of her neck. Kajiki?

"Oh- The Okinawan champion?" she asked, receiving a nod in response. Hnnn... She closed her eyes for a moment, nodding as she pulled up any memory on what she knew of him. "I think Keichi told me about him... The fish duelist right?"

Another nod. "That's right," Anzu said. "Kajiki fights with a fish deck. He's not a bad fisherman either," she added with a smile. The expression quickly twisted into a scowl however, the woman turning away with a rather steamed look. "Of course," she muttered darkly, "The first time we found this out he used it to lure Yugi into a duel..." Er... What? "That's behind us though," the woman decided with a shrug, a smile coming back into place. "In the end everyone is fighting for something after all, however desperately. Kajiki was, and still is, no different than us."

"Right." Of course. Though that mood swing was a little disturbing... Shizuka stared at her friend a short while longer, before shaking herself. "No different... Ah... Anzu-chan?" she asked, coughing lightly. "Since that day, has anything been..." She averted her gaze, falling silent as she looked for the word. "Ah... ...Different?" she offered. Not quite the word she wanted but...

Close enough really. The woman blinked. "...Different?" she repeated, the two stopping in the middle of the small market street. She paused a moment, before realization dawned across her face. "Ah. You mean after everything else," she continued, turning away. There was a short bit of silence, followed by a small shrug in response. "I suppose it's a little different," she admitted. "My mom seemed quick to point out a growing temper the other day, but I think she's more surprised by how quick I can throw that off now. It's strange," Anzu went on, brushing a bit of hair from her eyes. "And I'm sure that Malik is dealing with the same thing, but it almost seems like cheating; if I force myself to think of the memories that aren't mine, about all that he went through, all that happened to him... And quickly pull my thoughts back... I realize that there's really little I have a right to get upset about. Moreover, I _can't_ get upset about it- it actually seems to calm me down quicker than anything else," the woman sighed, shaking her head. "Ah... Try not to tell anyone else though," she added quickly, laughing nervously as her friend stared. "It's one thing to be reminded when Egypt is involved, it's another when I'm constantly drawing on it to alter my own emotions!"

Errr... That was true, but what was she supposed to say to that? How did she even try and share that with anyone, it was completely-

...Hahhhhh... "Alright," Shizuka answered with a swallow, shaking her head. Moodswings solved by... Moodswings. "I understand." Sort of. Almost. This was just confusing really...

Maybe it would be better if she just left for the hospital no- "Ahh... Ukht," a familiar voice protested from a distance, the two blinking and turning toward the source. "You don't want those ones, they're not as good as-"

" _Malik_ ," another voice answered, the words following more or less gibberish in her ears. "Y _ou're speaking in Japanese again_."

"...Oh," the first answered rather lamely, a shock of blond hair now visible amid the crowd. Ah-

That was- "Malik-han!" Shizuka called out in surprise, the Egyptian turning at the sound. "And Ishizu-han," the girl added, Malik's sister following his gaze. "...You're... At the market?" she asked almost confusedly, the others bearing similar expressions before responding.

"Ah... Yeah," Malik eventually said, slowly replacing the look with a smile. "Since we're staying for a little longer than planned," he explained confidently, "We had to make a grocery run. I remembered this place from whe-" He froze, coughing as he hurriedly corrected himself. "Er... I just remembered it. In any case," he continued a little more positively, "We were thinking of trying sukiyaki today, so we're picking out the vegetables-"

"Oh- Sukiyaki?" Anzu repeated with bright eyes, cutting in with a smile. "What do you have so far?" she pressed, the question gaining an almost tired sigh from Ishizu in response.

"Malik... You're the one who felt like having sukiyaki..." Oh- That was right, Ishizu probably wouldn't press for Japanese food would she...

"Ah- but it's really good," her brother told her, "Trust me!"

"Have you actually had sukiyaki?"

He blinked, smile dropping momentarily. "...Well... No," he coughed, "But it's still good!"

"You realize we won't be able to eat all of this when we get home right?"

“All the better to make it while we're here then!"

Another defeated sigh, Anzu and Shizuka still awaiting their response as the elder of the siblings smiled. "We've bought tofu and noodles," she told them. "However, we're still trying to decide which mushrooms to get." Ah... Mushrooms?

Well, this was a produce stand she supposed... "Hnn... You're stuck on mushrooms?" Anzu asked, looking to the side. "You're getting shiitake right? Those ones are really the best for this kind of dish, you just need to slice them properly!"

"AH- That's what I was just saying," Malik added, a muttered ' _you got that from her memory_ ' passing over him completely. "But Ishizu thinks that it'd be better to get enokitake, since they said we could put some in salad later..."

There was a confirming nod from the woman, a slight frown coming over her face. "I'm worried about leftovers..."

"Ach- Ukht," he snorted, "Between myself and Rishid you should be more worried about not having enough!"

"I'm still worried..."

"Ahahaha... Well, you could always get both," Anzu offered, rubbing the back of her head as the others turned. "And then, if there is left over," she coughed, "Just use the shiitake in another dish... Such as a soup..."

"Ah... That's a good point," Malik muttered, his sister giving him a somewhat flat look as he turned. "Heh- alright then! Let's do that, I think the enokitake is over here... Thanks Anzu!" he added quickly, looking around his sister again as the teen nodded.

"It's fine..! I'm sure you'd have thought of it in the end!" She waved as the Egyptians left, Shizuka finding herself left with a frown.

"...Those two," she ended up saying, her friend turning in slight confusion. "...So Malik-han is slipping up with his memories as well then?" And it seemed a little worse than Anzu's to be honest...

Anzu turned, smile faltering a little as she gave an almost depressed nod. "Yeah, he has. I suppose he at least has a better use though- what he learned growing up is all great, but it's hardly applicable to the 'real world'! All this..." She sighed, shaking her head as they continued down the street. "In the end, while the memories remain I'm just glad it's all over. We can enjoy the rest of the summer, and maybe when I go to school, Malik will be doing the same in his own country! It might not be like our class system," she laughed, "But-"

"Is it really all over?" Shizuka found herself asking, stopping in place for a moment. A feeling of dread was coming over her. A dark, pressuring feeling like what she'd had during her brother's duel against the 'other' Malik. Again Anzu stopped, this time turning with an expression of confusion as her friend went on, all other sounds on the street seeming to stop in place. "The 'other' Malik is gone, that's true," she said quietly. "But... Doesn't it feel like there's something else coming?"

Again the silence became pressuring, Anzu's eyes seemingly skipping over the girl in an attempt to find a joke in her words. "...Shizuka-chan..." She forced a confused smile on her face, shaking her head. "Of... Of course not! Something else... Don't say things like that!" she laughed, despite the remaining unease. "...Really..." She shook her head, the smile becoming a little more honest. "Nothing bad will happen, alright? There might not be much time left," she added, her friend now becoming the confused one, "But nothing like that will ever happen again... Okay?"

Not much time left?

For what? There was a short span of silence between them after that, and though she found herself flashing the woman a smile and a nod to avoid any further awkwardness between them she couldn't help but doubt her words. When she closed her eyes she saw something beyond the darkness typical of the act. Beyond even blindness, beyond the coldest pit of a cave. Something scarier, something...

Even darker, if that could even be possible. Seeing things like that, and hearing screams when she closed her eyes... How could she possibly believe what Anzu said? And yet despite that-

"Ah! Yugi!" Shizuka's eyes snapped open and to attention once more as she turned to the side, Anzu waving as their friend walked over from the other end of the plaza. "Yugi! Over here!"

"Ah- He's early," Shizuka noted, looking up at the clock in the middle of the place. By almost half an hour in fact. "I take it you're leaving on your date then?" she added with a slight smile, her friend chuckling almost nervously.

"Hahaha... It... It's not a date," she protested lightly, "We're just going for a walk!" Oh really now?

"A walk..?"

"R-Really! It's just a walk!" 'Just' a walk?

...Gh... "Haha _hahaha_!" She shook her head, deciding to let the topic drop rather than push it further. "Whatever you say Anzu-chan... Listen," she continued, turning with a wave. "I'm going to head off now, alright? Have fun with Yugi-han!"

Anzu nodded, waving after the girl with a smile. "I will! Enjoy the rest of your evening, alright?" she continued, moving to meet with her friend.

"Right!" Of course! Of course...

Really, she thought to herself as she left in the opposite direction, a wry smile on her face. How could she think that something was going to go wrong?

* * *

He was really lucky in the end that they'd let him in to see him. Even after buying a card and using the defense that he was delivering it for a friend of his, the doctors had been somewhat reluctant. With that in mind perhaps he was more lucky that anyone he'd fought with during the last half a year had kept their mouths shut.

It meant the doctors did nothing more than absently wish him luck in the next tournament due to his talent in the nationals, as opposed to cursing his name due to what he'd done to lose those last two tournaments following the event.

_'Insector Haga?_ ', they'd asked in surprise, the boy getting straight to the point before letting himself get sucked in by his pride. For once, his own skills didn't matter right now; he had to know.

Was a 'Ryuzaki Keiichi' admitted recently? There had been hesitance with the question, along with a number of glances to another at the side. So he'd tried again.

Had 'Dinosaur Ryuzaki' been admitted recently? He was lucky that the world thought they were such good friends, thanks to those playful interviews around the time of the national final match. He'd been in a good mood... He was confident that he'd grind Ryuzaki in the dust and in the end he had, something that put him in an even better one.

He supposed that after the fact, it was Ryuzaki's own good mood that convinced the world that they weren't enemies, with the absolute worst of the labels being 'rivals'.

So he was allowed in.

The doctor had given him a few instructions and directed him to the correct room. Clean hands, quiet voice, with a time limit of 'until visiting hours are over' or 'four o'clock'. And soon enough after a wave of dread and confusion at the instructions that were far from suited to a mere broken arm, he found out why Ryuzaki hadn't answered his phone. It was hard to do anything after all...

When you couldn't even breathe on your own.

Katsugi had been tempted to go back and tell the doctor off for pulling a trick on him. For giving him the wrong room, for simply getting something wrong and playing a sick prank, but as he stepped into the room and allowed the door to close behind him he couldn't ignore the fact that it was indeed Ryuzaki's backpack sitting at the side. That it was his jacket, and his hat hanging out of the somewhat opened sack. That his hair, despite having been cut to clear a path to wounds that needed to be surgically treated, was most assuredly that of his 'friend's.

"What the hell," he finally whispered, eyes shaking as they looked over the motionless boy. At the numerous wires and sensors hooked up to the body, at the bandages covering his chest, face, and arm, at the machines steadily recording synthetically controlled vitals. "What the hell is this?" he repeated, unable to even take a seat in the chair that sat in an almost hidden position near the bed. The papers at the edge of the bed said this was his condition from a full week prior, with no change and no signs of recovery beyond slowly healing wounds. That this condition had been from before his phone even stopped running, from before...

The card he'd bought in the gift shop to protect the image needed to get in dropped to the floor long ago, and he had yet to bother picking it up. It was a simple 'get well' card. He hadn't even signed it, all he'd done was grab the nearest one with a dinosaur on it so that the idiot wouldn't mouth off at him for picking one with bugs when he came in. But...

It looked as though even if that had happened, he wouldn't have been able to complain about it. In addition to severe bruising on his back there were lacerations to the chest, arm, face, and neck, the page began. The one on his arm had been irritated by dust and rusted metal, as had the slice across his neck and shoulder. Metal had become embedded in both of these cuts, but thankfully not the face. He didn't want to think about how much worse the scars on his face could possibly be if they'd become infected, not that the others had the chance to do so or would any more. All that aside however, the hair that had formerly grown far past Ryuzaki's shoulders was now cut short; if they were to pull the metal shards from the injury after all, the surgeons had no choice.

"...It doesn't look right," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the sight. "You with short hair..."

Nothing looked right. Not the hair, not the tubes, not the bandages wrapped around each wound. The slashes across his chest barely avoided causing fatal injury, according to the sheets. One wrong move and his ribs would have been broken in against his lungs, one wrong move and more than just veins and arteries would be struck and severed, bringing a far worse fate than the bruising of the opposite side. If a single sliver of metal had come in to sever his liver... Well.

If what the charts said were true he was lucky he hadn't bled out regardless of hitting something like that. But what did this? Papers wouldn't tell him that. Even the injuries themselves couldn't tell him, so what did this? As Katsugi's eyes lowered down to the ground he found their gaze focusing on a familiarly white device near the side of the bed, resting beside the boy's backpack. A duel disk he realized after a few moments, eyes narrowing in both confusion and distaste. But looking at the sides there were dents and scratches all along the side, and if he took an even closer look...

He pulled his hand back the moment he recognized the stains across it, faded black and maroon leaving little to imagination.

It was permanently locked into it's 'ready' position. In the middle where the halves joined was a 'hole' of sorts where a small blade could have fit. And the scratches were each along one side, only one...

Ryuzaki's wounds were all caused by a single, sharp object, with the obvious intent to kill.

"You turned your duel disk... Into a blade," he muttered quietly, fighting back a wave of nausea. He remembered those interviews after the championships. Though he'd won, he'd been feeling a little ticked about it being overshadowed to announce a separate tournament. Nonetheless he'd been confident that said tournament would be as easy as the one he now left as champion, and so he'd quickly gotten over the distaste and replaced it with his usual confident cheer in the matter. He and Ryuzaki...

They'd been pulled aside for an interview that same day. Admittedly, the attention he was getting made him more than a 'little' happy- it wasn't as though Chou, or Kansai, or any of his classmates looked to him like this. To one he was another mouth to feed, to another he was a pain, and to everyone else he was the kid who kept overshadowing them all in the academic classes while rubbing it in their lazy little faces- if he could do it why the hell couldn't they just shut up and study themselves? And as for Sen...

Well... She was nice enough, but that was his twin sister. It wasn't the same. They were 'supposed' to get along. Not that he cared of course but-

...

...Ryuzaki didn't seem to care if he was interviewed or not as he recalled. True, he'd ended up agreeing to the request with a grin and soaking up the praise as much as he could, but... ' _Whaaaat, this guy?_ ' he remembered him saying that day when asked about what he felt over his loss. ' _That was just one time; next time we fight,_ ' the boy had laughed, _'I'll definitely win! Heheheheheee!_ ' To which he himself had of course responded 'as if', before they moved onto the next question.

' _So, Haga-san, Ryuzaki-san?_ ' the interviewer had asked, television smile wide and expectant. ' _What do you plan to do in the future?_ ' The answer to that question... That was easy!

He was going to rise to the top in the duelist field; he'd form his very career out of it. He wouldn't be the 'know-it-all' brat who knew too much about bugs- no matter how hard he tried no one was going to listen when he tried to explain the true power behind the insects. Duelists though... They'd listen to a duelist. And the game...

The cards he had...

That was as close to 'friends' as he would ever get anyways.

Ryuzaki's answer wasn't the same as his. He instantly grinned, that was true, but unlike himself Ryuzaki did not respond by saying 'I'm going to duel of course!' Instead, he said...

' _Me? Well, I suppose once I finish school,_ ' he said with an almost careless shrug, ' _I'm gonna follow after my aunt, digging fossils out for the world to see. That's a long time from now though! I'll just stick with kendo and duel monsters until then, hehehehe!_ ' Kendo? Tch. He hadn't thought of Ryuzaki as the school club sort.

He certainly didn't bother with that. The closest thing he'd be able to stand was cram school, and what use was that for him? He was even skipping a year! His marks were off the charts! He was the 'greatest'! He...

Imagine his surprise when he found out that Ryuzaki was also the 'greatest' in his school. Next to the same girl he'd contacted before to get that information.

...Kendo and duel monsters...

Katsugi's eyes were shadowed behind his hair and glasses as he stooped down to grab the battered duel disk at the side, staring at if a few moments before stowing it under his arm and fixing his 'friend's body with a narrowed look. This feeling he had right now... Cold, dark, and an old, old, old feeling he didn't want to have return. Especially not because of this body before him now.

...Duel monsters...

His grip tightened on the dueldisk and he moved to leave the room, decision grudgingly and stubbornly made despite any thoughts he could possibly come up with against the idea. Alright then he decided, not saying a word even as doctors and nurses asked how he was in passing. If they were going to have that fight again to prove who was better, then he would make sure that fight happened properly.

Even if it cost his entire 'winnings' from that last tournament he'd won.

* * *

In all of her planning for that day, there was one glaring fact that she probably shouldn't have avoided before saying 'goodbye' to Anzu.

Until today, one of Katsuya's friends had been the one to accompany her to the hospital to visit Keiichi's bedside, generally from either Anzu's house as had happened on day 1, or from the Kaiba mansion, in the form of Yugi, Honda, or whoever happened to be willing. And while neither took routes she particularly recognized, she'd managed her way around fine at any given moment following this.

It was now coming to her attention however that while recalling a small number of streets to draw a map was one thing, actually following said mental map was a little harder... Not to mention linking each landmark and building to a set location in her mind- it was exceedingly difficult when things had not only become a faded memory from the last time she'd been in the city, but also changed considerably on their own as it was. She swore that arcade wasn't there eight years ago...

And the same with that bar. Nonetheless she sighed, scraps and bits of conversation floating through her ears as she looked for another street sign to use as a basis of location.

_'I wonder what we should order,_ ' could be heard coming from outside the cafe at her side. ' _Noodle, Noodle, come get your noodles!_ ' from the small ramen stand being pulled by an over eager young man. ' _Uwaah! The new Kaimen Rider!_ ' from outside the toy store.

' _Ahh... S-So you'll be able to look after her house then? C-Chou-oneesan would have done it herself,_ ' a more polite voice muttered shakily, ' _But she has her work...'_ The voice went on, Shizuka frowning as she attempted to locate it. ' _I would myself, but I have to finish middle school, and Kansai-oneesan still has her university classes, so I can't do anything until April and- Ah! You will?_ ' the voice questioned in surprise. ' _Ah..! T-Thank you very much Rao-san! Bye-bye-_ ' "Un-!"

"Ah-!" Shizuka winced as her shoulder crashed into that of the girl before her, the latter having only just moved from behind a support pillar.

"Gh... Ow..." Found the voice. "A-Ahhh..! S-So sorry!" the girl hurriedly said with a slight shout, bowing rather steeply as Shizuka stared. The girl in question appeared to fill just about every possible stereotype of the shy young school girl- her hair was pulled back in a loose braid, her glasses hid her eyes, and a majority of her was hidden beneath modest clothing. Even her general speech pattern suited the 'type' she noted. "I should have looked where I was going," the girl was worriedly exclaiming. "You'll have to forgive me..!"

E-Eeeh? Shizuka blinked, shaking her head as she got over the shock. "Ah... It's fine," she said quietly, 'public voice' again taking the lead as she coughed. "It's just an accident right?"

"Ah... R-Right..." The girl, likely around her age, nodded, standing up again with a slight swallow. "A-ano... My name is Haga, Sen... Pleased to meet you!" Again the girl bowed, face flushing somewhat as Shizuka continued to stare. "And again, I'm sorry..!" Hnn...

She was fairly nervous wasn't she? And in addition... She looked rather pale... Was she alright in that poncho with this weather? "Ah... Kawai Shizuka," she said somewhat quickly when the introduction registered. "The same." Another bow, and she continued. "Don't worry about bumping into me alright? Like I said... It's just an accident, isn't it?"

There was a short nod, before Sen protested somewhat regardless of apparent agreement. "A-Ano... That's true... But it's still my fault," she said nervously, "If there's anything I can do..." W-Why was she so insistent on making amends?

"E-Ehh... It's fine, really," she laughed, shaking her head. Really, no big deal so don't... "Although..." Sen blinked, and the other girl continued. "I'm not from around the area... Normally I take a different route," she explained, "But I'm trying to find the Hospital near here. 'Domino University'- do you know which road I should take?"

"Domino University..." Again the girl blinked, before nodding rather shyly. "Y-Yes... My older sister, she studies there... Shall I show you the way?" she asked, her new friend nodding.

"Sure- are you sure it won't take any of your time though?"

"Ah- V-very-! Don't worry," she insisted with nearly wavering tones, "It's no trouble! It's the least I can do after bumping into you like that!" Really! But...

It was just her shoulder... Was it really that bad? In the end Shizuka simply continued to smile, throwing off any confusion and sighing. "Alright... Thank you for this. So," she went on, "Which way..."

"Ah... Y-You want to go this way," Sen said quietly, pointing down toward the other end of the street. "Follow me, I'll show you..." She began walking, Shizuka following close behind as the girl continued. "You're going to the hospital right? There's a short cut through the park then..." Ah?

"Through the park?" Really? "But isn't that off to the side?" That couldn't be right at all from what she remembered. She knew things changed, but-

The girl nodded, sunlight playing across her glasses before she adjusted them and smiled. "C-Correct. Ano... It is indeed out of the way... But because of its size, it takes less time to cut through. There are fewer intersections to cross, and less people to walk past so... In the end, it becomes faster..." Ah...

"Hnn..." Taking that into consideration, she supposed she was right actually. "I've never thought of that," she muttered. "But... How do you know such a quick path to the hosp-" Shizuka cut herself off, shaking her head as she remembered Sen's earlier statement. "Right," she laughed. "Your sister... She takes classes there doesn't she..."

Sen again nodded, turning back as they came to the park in question. "A-ahn... That's right..! Kansai-oneesan is working on her bachelors degree in criminology. Although," she added, giving a somewhat nervous shudder, "I'm not actually sure how she's paying for it..." That...

Wasn't that a little backwards if she was reacting like that! "Er... Y ... Your sister sounds... A little..." Even after a few lines she was feeling uneasy... "Just a little..."

"Strange?" As Shizuka hurriedly attempted to deny the phrase Sen smiled, laughing almost mutely before speaking. "It's fine... She's a little odd," the girl admitted, bowing her head. "The fact that so many find her strange isn't surprising. She's really a nice person though..." Ah... If she said so, but- "That reminds me," Sen continued, voice almost a whisper. "At the hospital... Are you visiting a student there, or a doctor perhaps?" Hn? Neither...

If anything, she was doing what most would wasn't she? "Patient," she corrected. "I'm seeing a patient." Sen blinked, pausing as they came to the end of the park. True to her word, if they looked down the other side of the street the Hospital could be seen. It hadn't taken long at all. Just another block or so and she'd be there in fact. But-

"...You have a friend in there?" Sen asked, voice rather quiet with worry. "...What happened?" Ah- That...

...How to explain that? "...He..." Shizuka swallowed, a frown coming over her face. "...He got in a fight," she said somewhat hesitantly, not completely meeting Sen's gaze. "They have him in critical care now. I don't even think he's woken up yet, I..."

"...N-Nnnh...You should get him something for him," the girl offered, bowing her head again. "Some flowers, or... Or maybe a card..." As Shizuka looked back to the girl she ducked, before continuing on. "A-Ano... I don't think it will make things faster but..."

"It's fine," Shizuka told her. The look in this girl's eyes- They'd just met but she was so worried... Why though? It looked almost as though if she poked her with a stick she would burst into tears right now! It was almost scary even! "I'll be able to find my way there from here," she continued, pushing it from mind. She was probably just shy, Shizuka decided. Maybe she had someone close in the hospital herself even- who knew. "You probably have somewhere you should be now, right?" she asked.

Another nod. "Right... You're right," the girl repeated as she nodded. "It's going to get dark before I get home if I don't hurry. I still have to pick up a few things... Well... I hope your friend gets better, Kawai-san." She bowed once again, a light smile on her face. "It was nice to meet you!"

"Ah... You too, Haga-han..." Haga... As Sen turned to leave quietly the girl frowned, narrowing her eyes. Hang on now, she thought to herself, where had she heard-

...Ah!

"Nh... Haga-han!" she shouted, the girl turning for a moment to blink somewhat owlishly. "I was wondering... ...You mentioned sisters but... Do you have a brother as well?"

"A brother?" She blinked, before nodding. "Ah... Y-Yes... My little brother... Katsugi!" she called out, her friend stiffening somewhat. "Ah... Do you know him?" she asked, voice rising somewhat. "He never talks about his friends! Do you know him then?" Know him?

Blood drained from her face somewhat, smile almost frozen out of habit. 'Haga' was the name of the one that Jonouchi had cursed, the one that her brother had effectively considered scum of the earth since before her surgery. 'Katsugi' however...

It was just now that she remembered her phone conversation earlier the other week. ' _Moshi moshi_ ,' she could remember saying into the phone, her eyes still bandaged at the time. ' _Who is this?_ '

' _Oh- Haga, Katsugi. I'm a friend of Ryuzaki's, I was just calling to tell you he's on his way back alright..? Gh-hehe... Shouldn't be long, okay?_ ' That boy...

"No," she eventually said, moving to walk toward the hospital with a hidden and confused frown. "My mistake."

* * *

Re-selling cards was something of an art form akin to playing the stock market. The only major difference in the comparison really was that while stocks went up and down on an apparent dime, the cards only went one way most of the time.

Up.

After a card was no longer printed, its price began to rise. If it had already been rare, this price could reach mammoth proportions; Blue-Eyes alone for example, reached millions in US dollars after its printing was cancelled. That however was expected; with only four copies, the cards were a rarity already. Some collectors even balked at the idea that their 'dream card' was still in use. Not that the current owner likely cared all that much...

It was somewhat different for more 'common' cards however. After printing stopped with those, the price would slowly increase over time with demand and population. After one year perhaps two people would search for the card. Another and it would be twenty, another and it would be one hundred... Provided it wasn't so common that there was no increase in purchases of the card.

With rare cards however, this was made even easier if not guaranteed. Those cards were already worth enough on their own; some were even worth the price of a booster pack upon release, or even more than that. Give it a few months and they were worth three times their original worth. Just one year more and the amount spent on it could potentially reach thousands of yen! Some of the cards he had were a few years old with that in mind- their value had already jumped. All together, the total of the non-insect cards he'd gathered from tournaments and ante would add up to a fair amount of money. An amount that could have possibly funded his own schooling. Rather...

If he hadn't skipped half-way through the year, he'd have had enough to fund it. As it was, looking at the cards he had now and comparing it to what he could have had and what he needed to win...

The value was half of what it could have been. Not nearly enough for an education in fact. But by the end of everything, it was more than enough for what he needed to do.

And it was worth it. Of course now that it was said and done he was out of breath, leaning against a pole, and a number of thousands of yen short...

Specifically 25 thousand. Not... That this... Mattered... The more light-hearted side of his mind insisted.

Sometimes he really... Hated that tiny little side of him. "Hah... Hah... Hahhhh..." Tired...

Katsugi gripped the box under his arm as he stumbled back into the hospital, ignoring the looks from any doctors he passed. "Um... Sir are you alright?" one worried receptionist asked, turning from the desk as he wandered past. He was fine... Trust him... "Sir?" she called out as she stood. "Sir?" Leave him alone...

Elevator doors closed before the woman could continue, and the boy collapsed somewhat on the side of the impossibly empty device. If anyone... Ever... Found out he'd done something like this...

"Well," he decided, muttering to himself through his still heavy breathing, "Maybe if I'm lucky karma will stop spitting in my face..."

...It probably wouldn't of course, but it wasn't as though that would keep him from trying. It would be nice though, if he could get his sisters off his back. The light on the side buzzed and Katsugi picked himself up, forcing a look of apparent composure over himself as the door opened. In the end, he hadn't wasted his money on a duel disk for that sort of reason. Losing those matches was a 'fluke'- he would win the next one easy! He just didn't want to risk being unable to fight the very person he was preparing to live with because of something so trivial as this. And it wasn't as though Ryuzaki would accept the gift if he knew it was him who gave it to him, Katsugi insisted to himself. He'd to the same after all, if he idiotically decided to do something like this to begin with. It wasn't cool to get a gift from a rival, it was pathetic. If anything, he himself was being pathetic for giving him a gift at all. But he wasn't going to duel him if he had a faulty duel disk covered in blood. That...

That was worse.

"Don't think this is because we're 'friends' or anything," he muttered under his breath, putting the box neatly beside his friend's backpack with a scowl. There was no answer of course, but he hardly expected one. Miraculous revivals were for soap operas and dramatic films with happy endings. Not for real life. And yet, even though he knew he couldn't hear him, he continued. "You wouldn't want my duel disk," he almost hissed, narrowing his eyes from where he stood. "...Knowing you, you'd say it 'taints' your honor as a duelist." For him, it hurt his pride simply by doing all this- Yet nonetheless he was still there, trying something anyways. "I haven't done more than touch the box," Katsugi muttered. "You don't have that excuse now. ...I..."

Hmph. If he went back now, he'd be worse off than if he went through with it he decided, standing with his hands in his pockets in silence. Footsteps sounded from outside of the door, the boy not bothering to turn at the sound. Probably another nurse he told himself. Nothing m-

"Ah..." He blinked, looking up as a young girl with somewhat reddish brown hair walked in with a look of surprise. "You..." She frowned somewhat, looking over the boy with a confused gaze while adjusting the flowers in her arms. "…Who are you?" The answer to that question...

He supposed he'd have to give it to her even if he didn't want to.


End file.
